Dawn of the Dragon
by Kirishtu
Summary: After witnessing a vision that could decide the fate of Azeroth, Karidormi takes it upon herself to make sure the vision never takes place. Aided by unlikely heroes, she undertakes a journey that spans two worlds, and time itself. Contains some violence.
1. Chapter 1

One

The smell of fresh rain tickled her nose as she took a deep breath. She stared out over the lush green land of Ashenvale. The forest had returned, thanks to the combined efforts of the Druids of the Cenarion Circle and the shamans who followed Thrall, or rather, Go'el (he went by the name his parents had intended to give him on his Naming Day now, rather than continue to use the name given to him by Aedelas Blackmoore, the man who'd found, raised, and trained him) and his wife Aggra, along with a few others who simply wanted to help. There, a sort of peace had been brokered, one that had been promised with the fall of Garrosh Hellscream and the rise of Vol'jin of the Darkspear as leader of the Horde. With King Varian Wrynn seeking to maintain peace not only among the leaders of the Alliance, but also the Horde, it created an environment where new friendships could be forged and the world of Azeroth could heal from the devastation from both the Cataclysm and the recent destruction of Pandaria.

Karidormi spread her golden wings and launched from her perch, riding the morning thermals above the foliage of Ashenvale's great forest. A light headwind blew, and she breathed deep, filling her lungs with the scent of trees, fires, and the far off ocean. She glided over Astranaar, turning slowly toward Silverwing Refuge. There had been work there of late, both from the Horde in removing themselves from the area and the Alliance in trying to restore the night elf base to its former glory. She watched tiny figures move to and fro beneath her, and she circled the area before she turned toward Splintertree Post. It hadn't quite been abandoned yet, as the Horde was loathe to give up any holding they had, but there were fewer people than before. It was a good sign, one that proved that the peace the two sides were working toward wasn't false.

As Karidormi turned to circle the Post and then head toward the lumber mill, and Orgrimmar, she felt more than heard an ominous rumble. She craned her neck, looking left and right for the source of the sound. On a hunch, Karidormi tilted her wings and circled around toward Thunder Peak, which had recently gone dormant once the elementals there had been brought peace. She wondered if the volcano had become active again, and if it had, she was curious as to why. Her curiosity about Azeroth and the world beyond the Dark Portal, as well as the wonders her own world contained, had grown since the Aspects had given up their Titan powers to save Azeroth from Deathwing. Their loss had resulted in their flights finally being able to pursue their own dreams and happiness, rather than remain stagnant and worry about things like the timeways, in her case. Of course, the powers hadn't fully gone away, only had changed, become different. While before, the bronze dragons always had had a certainty about the paths time should take and kept from meddling, that certainty was now gone, and many had wondered if it wouldn't be better to make the timelines work for them rather than let time unfold as it should. Kari wasn't sure which way was better - getting involved and shaping things to her desires, or letting things play out as they were wont. She probably wouldn't know for sure until she found herself faced with such a situation.

Karidormi had always dreamed of seeing the world beyond the Caverns of Time. Now that she had the opportunity, she wanted to see everything. Her first stop had been here, Ashenvale. She wanted to see the moonwell, as well as the ancient ruins that had been both unearthed and buried. But for the moment, her focus was the volcano that was steadily starting to belch black smoke into the air.

Karidormi winged toward the volcano, feeling the heat rising up even as far away as she was. She craned her neck, looking for something out of the ordinary. It was what she didn't see that made her nervous. The shamans that should've been there monitoring the volcano weren't in their usual spot. She also couldn't see or hear any wildlife. It was as though the whole world had suddenly gone silent, like a void had opened and swallowed everything but the heat and the constant belching of black smoke.

Slowly Karidormi folded her wings and angled herself downward. As she descended, she became aware that something was terribly wrong. There was no sound. There wasn't even the slightest rustling of the leaves. She alighted on the ground and sat back on her haunches. A moment later, a young female high elf was in the dragon's place, dressed in golden cloth robes. Long golden hair flowed down her back, and wisps of it curled around her, like an invisible wind was drifting around her. Carefully, Karidormi moved through the underbrush, surveying everything. That was when she felt it, a rumbling under her feet. She grabbed onto a tree to keep herself upright, closing her eyes until the shaking subsided. She let out a sigh and opened her eyes. When she did, she couldn't believe what she saw.

It was as though the earth had expelled every tree surrounding her. Roots stood naked in the sunlight, still dripping clods of dirt and crystalline sap. The earth was cracked and charred, much like the Great Divide that now separated the Barrens. And still Karidormi couldn't see the cause of such destruction. Despite her instincts telling her to run, she slowly ventured deeper into the affected area.

Then she heard sobbing. Deep, guttural, male sobbing.

She wanted to call out, but for some reason, her voice wouldn't work. She kept moving forward, and finally came to the epicenter of the destruction.

"Earth-Warder?" Karidormi questioned in surprise, staring at the Orc called Go'el.

He didn't seem to hear her. He continued to sob, his green skin covered in cracking wounds and black burns that showed flowing red, though he wasn't bleeding. Karidormi started to approach, then paused. She looked around and covered her mouth and nose in surprise.

Eight bodies surrounded Go'el. Once shamans, if their charred remains could be identified properly. They looked as though they had been trying to stop something - or contain something - but had been overwhelmed. They had been burned to blackened husks, as though all of their juices had been squeezed from their flesh. The corpses formed a macabre ring around Go'el who knelt in the center, clutching to the body of what had once been a pregnant female Orc. She was still recognizable, and Karidormi realized the female Orc was Aggra, Go'el's wife.

"Oh," Karidormi whispered, "oh, Go'el. What happened? Who did this?"

As if noticing her for the first time, Go'el turned toward Karidormi. Her scream stuck in her throat. Go'el's face had been burned away, leaving only blackened bone cracked with red lines. His eye sockets burned with fiery light, and magma tears dropped durn his cheeks, burning even more of his flesh away.

Somehow, she managed not to be sick where she stood. Somehow she managed to back up a step, her hands already weaving a spell of protection. She recognized all too well that kind of visage, for it had only been a few years ago that she had the rest of her kind had fought against another creature who'd worn the same cracked face.

"Deathwing," Karidormi whispered. But it couldn't be! Deathwing had been destroyed and with him the influence of the Old Gods. How had they reached Go'el, a mortal, the only person in the world who was powerful enough to control the awesome powers a dragon once wielded? Certainly he wouldn't fall prey to the whisperings of the Old Gods! Go'el was more powerful than that! "Go'el, what happened to you?"

"They killed her."

The words were filled with so much pain.

Karidormi shivered, though, because with each word more molten lava fell from Go'el's lips, as if his very insides were turning into molten rock. "Why?" she asked. Go'el looked away from Karidormi, back to Aggra. He squeezed her tighter, then started to rise.

"They killed her." Go'el repeated. "These fools who followed me. They told me I was far too powerful, that I needed to be curbed. Do you think I asked to be Earth Warder? That I wanted this? My Aggra tried to stop them, and they killed her and my child!"

"But that's no reason to be like this!" Karidormi protested. "Look at yourself! You've become just like Deathwing!"

At the mention of the corrupted black dragon, Go'el began to laugh. "Deathwing? I think that mad son of a bitch had a good idea of how this was going to play out. Everyone on Azeroth was afraid of him, for what he could do. Even the other Aspects. Now that fear has been turned to me, because I inherited the mantle he left behind."

Karidormi sucked in a breath. "They didn't kill her. You did."

Go'el's broken lips cracked into a smile. "You would accuse me of murdering my own family, dragon?"

Karidormi raised her hands. "You've become corrupted. Why? You were always in control of the power of the Earth Warder. Why have you done this?!"

Go'el dropped Aggra's body and wiped his hands on his smoldering robe. "Why? You ask stupid questions, bronze. Why? Because I can feel every bite of the axe, every score of the hoe. Every fallen tree is like a knife to my soul. Every fire, every rock wrenched from the ground, it's like a burning wound that never heals. Every upheaval of the earth echoes inside me. And I'm supposed to simply stay quiet, and be a good little shaman?" Go'el laughed again, and this time the mountain shook. "It wasn't the Old Gods that drove Deathwing mad - it was the whole of Azeroth and everything living in it!"

Karidormi bared her teeth. "So you killed your fellow shamans, and the woman you loved?"

Go'el expression shifted. Molten tears began to flow. "Aggra... I told her to stay behind, but she didn't listen! And now... now she's gone! And my child too!"

Karidormi started edging forward. If she could contain him, here and now, perhaps she could manage to send word to Nozdormu and the other Aspects. They had to know what was happening. They would know how to fix this. Even if they didn't have their powers anymore, between the four of them, they would know how to help Go'el. "Go'el, everyone on Azeroth has to till the ground to make food. They have to cut the trees to make homes, and dig in the mines for minerals to make ore. Even the earth itself has its own rhythms and seasons. You were able to ignore these things before. You can do so again."

She was so close she could almost touch him. He looked at her, and Karidormi realized it wasn't the former Warchief and shaman standing there, but the maddened Earth Warder. He smiled at her. "And be a good little mortal and pick up the slack Alexstrasza and the rest of them left behind? I don't think so. I gained these powers because I took them from Deathwing. And while I fought, the Aspects gave up their powers and left me to forge on alone. This," he spread his arms, "is what they'll have to deal with. I am the Earth Warder, blessed by Alexstrasza. I will stop my pain, one way or another."

"You can't!" Karidormi protested. "You would be undoing everything you fought for!"

"And will you stop me, bronze? Your Aspects abandoned you. The rest of your kind is scattered across Azeroth. This is the era of mortals." Go'el spat. Overhead, the volcano rumbled, billowing smoke and ash into the sky. "And who will fight against me? I was the Warchief. The Horde once belonged to me. They will again. Vol'jin will gladly follow my advice."

Karidormi didn't hesitate. She started to transform, assuming her larger form. Go'el's hand shot out and wrapped tightly around her throat. Her transformation stopped abruptly. She clawed at his hand, struggling to breath. She could feel her skin starting to burn just from Go'el's grip alone. He pulled her close, so she could stare into the fiery pits of his eyes.

"A mortal cannot handle the powers of the Earth Warder." Go'el said, his voice eerie and grating. Smoke billowed from his throat, as though his very insides were burning. "A mortal's mind is too fragile. If a dragon went mad over tens of thousands of years, a mortal would go mad in only a few."

Karidormi gasped. She clawed at the hand wrapped around her throat. "No one..." She gasped, "no one is going to let you succeed in destroying Azeroth."

"They don't have to 'let' me." Go 'el said, his voice grating like the earth itself was crashing together in his throat. "I will destroy everything in Azeroth." With that, he drew back his hand and curled it into a fist. Before Karidormi could do anything to defend herself, Go'el drove his fist through her chest -

- Karidormi woke suddenly and nearly fell from her perch. Her wings flared and she dug in her talons, scrabbling to stay on the stone outcrop she'd chosen as her night perch. She shivered after she righted herself and looked around her. She was in Ashenvale, just like in her dream. But she was closer to Felwood, instead of further south where her dream had taken place. She shifted, and as she did so, pain lanced through her chest. She angled her neck and looked down.

What she saw there frightened her.

The bronze scales above her heart were blackened and flaking, as though they had been burned. It was the same area where, in her dream, Go'el had punched through her chest. Her thoughts reeled. It wasn't possible. There was no way that her dream could have crossed the barriers in time. But... It had felt real enough.

There was only one person in the entire world who could give her any answers now, so Karidormi spread her wings and launched into the air, flying with all haste toward Northrend.


	2. Chapter 2

Two

Karidormi soared over the breakwater as she headed into the Howling Fjord. She chose to keep flying, though her wings were tired from flying across the ocean. She'd been able to rest here and there, riding on waves or finding a small rock that was stubbornly clinging to the last vestiges of life against the raging sea. She would rest soon, she told herself. If she didn't, she was liable to fall from the sky.

She soared up the cliffs and angled herself toward the Dragonblight. Eventually, she glided toward the ground and alighted on a grassy patch, away from anything and anyone. Slowly, she transformed, wincing as pain flared in her chest. Though the worst of it had healed, her skin was still bruised and irritated. That fact alone had her questioning things, such as if it was really true that the flights had lost their more powerful powers at the time of Deathwing's demise, such as being able to travel the timeways. If it was still possible for bronze dragons, like Karidormi herself, to be affected by errant currents of time, then certainly it still fell to them to investigate the strange occurrences. Didn't it? Karidormi wasn't really sure, herself. Many of the bronze flight had gone to live at the Caverns of Time, or the Bronze Dragonshrine. Few had gone to pursue other interests, like Chromie and Kairoz, but they were the exception. Most dragons didn't know what to do now, since their entire lives had been practically written for them since the day they had hatched. The reds guarded life; the blues guarded magic; the bronzes guarded time; the greens guarded the Emerald Dream; and the blacks... Well. Everyone knew that story. She supposed that the hatchling, Wrathion, was the luckiest of all dragons, since he'd never had a taste of what it was like to have the powers of the Titans.

Speaking of Wrathion...

Karidormi stretched her arms above her head and sighed. There were rumors about the hatchling Black Prince, rumors that he was playing with dangerous magic and seeking power. She didn't know if there was any truth to the rumors, but she knew Wrathion could be dangerous if he wanted to, and the friendship he had fostered with Prince Anduin Wrynn was most certainly something to be watched. Still, it wasn't any of Karidormi's concern what Wrathion chose to do, though she knew his life would be a hard one. There were no more black dragons, after all.

"Time to go." Karidormi whispered to herself. She rose and changed forms, launching into the air once more. She angled herself for the Dragonblight, and a home she hadn't really called home for a number of years. The Bronze Dragonshrine was as strange to her as the rest of Azeroth, because most of her years had been spent in the Caverns of Time, learning how to control the powers she'd possessed then. She was still young, in dragon years, so she hadn't fully come into her powers before they were taken from her. Of course, she'd known something was wrong - the elder dragons, like her sister Asyadormi, had suddenly stopped their usual motions, standing stone still before looking around like they had lost something incredibly important. Later, Karidormi would understand that the loss of their powers meant a loss of many dragons' sense of self. They had no idea what to do with themselves because they had been doing the same thing for years and had never thought of doing anything else. For the younger dragons, like Karidormi, it meant freedom in ways they had never thought possible.

She watched as the lush terrain of Howling Fjord gave way to the grey waste of the Dragonblight. She angled her wings and rose higher. She was able to see the shadows of the skeletons of long dead dragons, all facing the monstrous skeleton of Galakrond, the Father of all dragons. She didn't know why the dying dragons did such a thing. Was it to honor their ancestor? Or was it for another reason? Karidormi pushed it from her thoughts as she saw the Bronze Dragonshrine rapidly approaching in the distance. She flapped her wings and soared higher, flying right over the ring of mountains that protected the Bronze Dragonshrine.

She saw several older dragons sitting on different peaks, all looking down at the sandy bottom of the shrine. There, sitting as regal as she'd ever seen him, was her father, Nozdormu. Karidormi tilted her wings and made her descent. She leaned back, filled her wings with air, and came to a hopping halt before him.

"Father," Karidormi said softly.

Nozdormu angled his head to look at the smaller dragon. "Karidormi."

She smiled, moving closer to him. "I need to speak with you about something. Privately, if we could."

Nozdormu craned his neck, considering for a long moment. Then finally, he nodded. His form slowly shrank until he stood below her as an elf male. Karidormi did the same, assuming her smaller form. She approached him then, smiling. "Father-"

"What is it you need to speak to me about?" Nozdormu asked, his voice still raspy like sand falling.

Karidormi swallowed. Lately, Nozdormu hadn't been himself. He'd been more irritable than usual. "Well... I had a dream the other night and-"

"You came to speak to me about a dream? That is Ysera's realm, not mine."

"Would you just listen? Why are you such a grump?" Karidormi asked hotly. Her fists clenched when Nozdormu turned a burning gold gaze on her. "I know it's been difficult since you lost your powers, but that's no excuse for taking it out on me! I need your help! And you're my sire, so the least you can do is just listen to me!"

Nozdormu blinked. He craned his neck up to look at a large female bronze that had alighted on a nearby cliff. Karidormi didn't need to look to know that the newly arrived dragon was her mother. Finally, Nozdormu looked back at Karidormi. "Yes. You're right. I'm sorry."

Sure you are, Karidormi thought bitterly. Still, she squared her shoulders. "I want to know if it's possible to cross time in dreams. I had a dream where Go'el became corrupted, like Deathwing. He had lost control of the Earth Warder's powers, and he swore to destroy everything on Azeroth to alleviate his pain. Then he did this to me." Karidormi pulled down the collar of her dress as far as she could to show Nozdormu the bruised flesh where Go'el had punched through her chest.

Nozdormu studied the bruise for some time. He remained quiet, considering his words. Finally, he looked at her face. "Tell me exactly what happened."

Smiling a relieved smile, Karidormi told him everything. She told him about the volcano in Ashenvale, the deaths of the shaman and of Aggra, the appearance Go'el had taken. She told him every word Go'el had said, then described how Go'el had hurt her. "Then I woke up on the ledge I'd chosen to sleep on, and my chest still had the wound he had given me in my dream."

Nozdormu cupped his chin with one hand as he considered the young dragon's words. Karidormi hoped he knew exactly what was going on. She believed that Nozdormu would know exactly what to do, that he would be able to help prevent whatever calamity was heading toward them now. Then the former Aspect of Time let out a gusty sigh. "This is what you saw?"

"Everything."

"It's been three years since our power was sacrificed to save the world, and three years since Go'el took up the mantle of Earth Warder. Nothing has happened since then, save for some internal strife within the Horde. It was just a dream, child."

"But!"

"But nothing!" Nozdormu spat, face twisting in anger. "You aren't the first to come to me concerned that the future is in danger because of something you saw in a dream!"

"But my wound-"

"You said you fell off the cliff. You probably were injured then, and didn't notice it. Go'el is stronger than Deathwing - he won't fall prey to the whisperings of the Old Gods like that black monster did. You worry over nothing."

"Shouldn't it merit at least a small investigation?" Karidormi asked, her tone angry and desperate. He didn't believe her! Why didn't he believe her?

"If I investigated everyone's dream of a possible future I wouldn't get any rest! It was merely a dream Karidormi. A _dream_. Dreams mean nothing. You didn't cross time. You were merely worried about what sort of things a mortal Earth Warder would do, and so your subconscious gave you an answer. Our powers are gone, child."

"This _was_ real!" Karidormi protested. She reached for Nozdormu, as if her touch would make him see that she was truly concerned.

Nozdormu smacked her hand away and bared his teeth. "No, it was a _dream_! It has no bearing on reality! Put it out of your head and go back to whatever it was you were doing before you came to bother me. I have my own concerns to tend to."

"I always knew you were too concerned over other things to listen when someone came to you with a genuine problem." Karidormi spat. "Now that you lost something that wasn't even yours in the first place, you're sulking like a spoiled child. I don't know what happened there and I never will, but I know that when a child comes to a parent with a problem, the parent should help them."

Nozdormu transformed so fast that Karidormi barely had time to leap back and transform herself. Nozdormu thrust his face into hers, eyes narrowed in that scaly visage. "What do you know of sacrifice?" He roared. "You know nothing!"

"And you would do nothing!" She roared back. "Why? Because the world now belongs to "mortals"? What difference is there between mortals and dragons? Don't we all live in the same world? Don't we all suffer when there's a threat to Azeroth?"

"Our time is over." Nozdormu growled. "There is nothing more we dragons can do."

"Who the hell decided that?!" Karidormi shouted. She flared her wings and tamped down her hind legs to shove off into the air. Her wings drove down, kicking up sand. She pushed herself higher in the sky. "We're part of this world too! Do we stop having responsibility once our powers are stripped from us?"

"Ware your tone, hatchling!" Nozdormu roared. "We are no longer part of the coalition that needs to defend the mortal world! This time, the mortal races must solve their own problems now. If every dragon came to me spouting their dreams of supposed prophecy, I would never get any rest. And then I would have to make sure that there aren't murders based on what people _believe_ is going to be the future. A dream is just a dream, Karidormi! It has nothing to do with reality. Now go. Be gone from here until you learn proper respect!"

"Who would ever respect an old xenophobic proto-drake like you?" Karidormi spat angrily. She launched higher into the sky, then winged out of sight before Nozdormu - or her mother - could call her back.

Karidormi flew as hard as she could, winging away from the Bronze Dragonshrine. She felt so... so... so _betrayed_! Why didn't he believe her? Why didn't he want to do anything? She flew until her wings hurt, then glided down toward the ground. She touched down, then looked behind her. There was no pursuit. Karidormi wasn't sure if she was relieved or upset by that.

She assumed her smaller form and started to walk, not really caring for the direction. She just had to move, to get her thoughts in order.

Karidormi let out a long sigh. Maybe she had been a little too hasty. After all, there was no solid evidence - besides the wound on her chest, anyway - so there really was no reason for Nozdormu to believe her. Even still, she had expected something. Sympathy. Or at least reassurance that she wasn't going crazy. She hadn't expected him to blow up like that though. She'd expected him to listen, to say something along the lines of "well, let's just check this out." not "you're making something out of nothing shut up."

Karidormi clenched her fists and pressed them against her thighs. Nozdormu would never help her now, not even to make sure what she experienced truly was a dream and not a portent of the future. But he'd had a point, when he'd said that if everyone who had an assumed "prophetic" dream acted on it, then there would be people dying left and right for nothing. Still, it pissed her off some that Nozdormu wouldn't even consider looking into it.

There was nothing else to do about it then. She was on her own. Karidormi took a deep breath, then changed shape. As she took to the sky, Karidormi decided she'd investigate on her own. If she found her dream was nothing but that - a dream - then she would go to Nozdormu and apologize, tell him he was right, and beg for forgiveness. Of course, if she discovered she wasn't wrong...

Well.

Karidormi pushed her wings harder.


	3. Chapter 3

Three

Karidormi glided low over the red dirt of Durotar. She touched down close to Razor Hill's south side and changed forms quickly. This time, she made sure she was dressed like a blood elf instead of a high elf, since she was in Horde territory. Of course, she probably could've gotten away with her usual attire, but she didn't want to draw attention to herself. She was here only to prove herself wrong.

She'd gone to Orgrimmar first, hoping that her mission would be over before it even got started, but she learned that Go'el his wife Aggra, and his young son Durak had gone to the Echo Isles to visit the new Warchief Vol'jin, who had returned to his home in order to erase the evidence of Garrosh's Horde on his people and his people's land. So Karidormi headed south, and had ended up where she was now.

She smoothed out a wrinkle in her robe and moved out on foot. She liked Durotar; it reminded her of the Tanaris desert, where everything that lived there struggled to make a living. The orcs and trolls had tamed this place and lived with the creatures already here, but the two races were as tenacious as the scorpids that wandered the sands. They wouldn't give up their home without a fight.

Karidormi spotted the troll village of Sen'jin and picked up her pace a bit. The trolls didn't pay her any mind, going about their business like a stranger walking through their village wasn't anything to be concerned about. Karidormi smiled as she walked through the village, glad to see that being occupied by zealots hadn't done anything to dampen the spirits of this proud people.

She wended her way toward the shore. She cast a quick spell that would allow her to simply float over the water, then made her way to the main village on Echo Isles, where she would, hopefully, find Thrall and be able to lay to rest the nagging voices in her head.

Karidormi reached the shore and headed into the main part of the island. Everything there was a blur of motion, with trolls and orcs and blood elves and Tauren heading this way and that, with wolves and raptors and kodos hitched to wagons filled with iron pieces. Karidormi had to side-step a few of them, just to make sure she wasn't run over. She moved around the village, looking at the huts and tall trees that had been felled over the time the orcs had occupied the place. It was looking like the progress being made was being spearheaded by whoever was in the main hut up the hill, so that's where Karidormi headed. As she trudged up the hill, she could hear voices, and recognized Go'el's gruff voice, along with Vol'jin's maimed one. She couldn't hear what they were talking about, so she had to get closer. She picked up her pace until she came to the front porch of the hut and could peer in.

Go'el stood close to Aggra, who was kneeling on the floor with her hand on the back of her small son. Durak seemed oblivious to the words the adults were saying, focused on playing with a toy totem. Karidormi shifted so she could try to see their expressions, but she couldn't get closer without making a scene. So she got as close as she could, and was grateful when several blood elves seemingly joined her, working on repairing a piece of the main hut.

"So that's why we're here." Go'el said.

There was silence for a long moment before Vol'jin said, "So ya want me ta watch your boy until ya return?"

"You're the only one we can trust with this." Aggra replied. Karidormi could hear the love in her voice, and assumed she was looking at Durak when she said those words.

"Think of it as practice." Go'el said, grinning.

Vol'jin snorted. "That be a long way off yet, I hope. But ya better be comin' back, Go'el. A boy needs his parents."

"We'll be back, Vol'jin. I promise you that. There's too much left to do, and I don't want my son suffering through what I had to go through."

There was a long moment of silence, broken only by a baby's giggling and attempts to talk. Then Vol'jin sighed deeply. "I'll watch your boy, protect him. But ya better come back. Both of ya. I don' wanna explain ta everyone why ya didn't come back."

"Don't worry, Vol'jin. I'll be there to help Go'el every step of the way. We've come this far, so we won't stop until we've discovered why this is happening, and how to stop it."

"Good luck. We'll be waitin' for ya."

Karidormi quickly ducked around the blood elf group as Go'el and Aggra exited the hut. She waited until they had started down the hill, then quickly followed them, keeping a good distance so they didn't notice her. She followed them to the shore and ducked behind a clump of bushes.

Go'el suddenly doubled over in pain. Aggra grabbed hold of him and went down with him, her expression one of horror. She pushed back the sleeve of Go'el's robe and Karidormi felt her heart fall into her stomach. Go'el's normally green skin was covered with molten cracks and burns. She could see remnants of salves, of poultices and other herbal concoctions, smeared on his skin, like Go'el has been trying to heal himself. Aggra grabbed a bit of water and all but slapped it on the affected area, channeling healing magic with a ferocity Karidormi hadn't known the Mag'har female possessed.

It was over in a matter of seconds, but the longer Karidormi watched, she knew it had already begun, Go'el's deterioration. He hadn't had a true breakdown yet, but she knew it was only a matter of time before something irreversible happened. It was already clear both Go'el and Aggra were trying to fight this affliction, and it clear they didn't want anyone to know. But she knew what would happen if they dealt with this alone.

Karidormi took a deep breath and stepped out, moving with purpose toward Go'el and Aggra.

Aggra was quick to step in front of Go'el, to give him time to cover up his arm. Karidormi held up her hands in a gesture of peace. "I'm here to help," she said quickly.

"Help with what?" Aggra snapped.

"I know what's wrong with him." Karidormi said. "I saw it. I don't know how long it will take, but you will head to Ashenvale, to the volcano there. You'll try to contain it, with the help of other shaman, but it won't work. Go'el you'll still go mad, and you'll kill everyone, including Aggra."

Go'el rose and put his arm around Aggra's waist. "Who are you?"

"My name is Karidormi. I'm part of the bronze flight. I had a dream where I saw you fully claimed by this sickness. I don't know what it is, but I know it has to do with the powers of the Earth Warder. It'll continue to consume you until you become the destroyer of everything you love."

She could see the disbelief in their eyes. Then Go'el closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "You aren't lying," he said at last.

Karidormi kept the relief from her face. "No, I'm not. Go'el, the power of the Earth Warder is what's causing this. Eventually, the pain will become too much and you'll lose yourself, just like Deathwing did."

"I don't hear the whispering of the Old Gods. How can I lose myself?"

"You'll hear them soon. And if not, then... then I don't know why the power would suddenly start going out of control like this. All I know is what you told me - that you could feel every bite of an axe, and every fire that consumed a forest, every rock that was ripped from the ground was like a burning wound that wouldn't heal."

Go'el and Aggra exchanged glances. Karidormi felt her chest grow tight. They had to believe her. They had to. The two orcs shifted, turning their heads together to discuss in privacy. Karidormi waited, because it was the only thing she could do. Finally, they looked toward her again. Aggra approached her, and held out her hand. Cautiously, Karidormi took it. Aggra curled her fingers around Karidormi's hand in a tight grip, her eyes never leaving the dragon's face. Karidormi's gaze never faltered. She stared into Aggra's eyes, desperate for the Mag'har to believe her. Aggra held her gaze for a long moment, before she finally nodded.

Aggra stepped back and released Karidormi's hand. "She's telling the truth, my love."

Go'el clenched his fist. "Do you know how to fix this ailment, Kari?"

Karidormi shook her head. "No, but I have an idea of where to start. If you can hold out for a little longer, I can find the answers we need."

Go'el nodded. "Then I guess I don't have much of a choice."

"I promise you," Karidormi said, "I won't let you fall to this madness. I'll find some way to help you."

Aggra returned to Go'el's side. "Then, my love, we ought to go somewhere safe, where we won't run into other people."

"You'll be able to find us? We don't want anyone knowing about this." Go'el said.

Karidormi smiled. "Don't worry about me. I'll be able to find you without a doubt."

Go'el nodded and wrapped his arm around Aggra's waist. "We'll be waiting for some good news. If it's the power of the Earth Warder, then we must find a way to control it." A moment later, they were gone, the only sign of their presence was the shifted sands on the beach and the light ripple in the water.

Karidormi transformed quickly and launched into the air. Now that she knew Go'el was aware - as was Aggra - she was confident she'd have the time to find the cause. Because before she could think of a cure, she had to discover the cause of the Earth Warder's powers going awry. Right now, she was on her own. If she moved fast, then maybe, just maybe, she could stop Go'el's deterioration before it got any further.


	4. Chapter 4

Four

Wrathion took a deep breath and stretched his little wings. He could smell the ocean, he could smell horses and other things he figured weren't meant for polite company, and he smelled something that reminded him strongly of the place where he had hatched. It was the smell of humans.

"Awake?"

Wrathion craned his little head to look toward the only human he trusted outside of his own guard. Anduin had an easy smile on his face, his arms crossed over his chest. He looked better now, without the bandages and the crutch, and without the worry in his blue eyes that something even more dangerous than the past threats to Azeroth had been sitting right across from him the entire time he'd been healing. Of course, the two had become fast friends despite the tension that had been accumulating since Wrathion had revealed his plan to save Azeroth. "Shouldn't you be asking if I got any sleep? This ship has been rocking incessantly."

"Yeah, well, that's because it's been on the ocean." Anduin replied with a smile. "Be happy. At least you didn't get sea-sick."

"Small favors, I suppose." Wrathion shifted and fluttered over to Anduin's shoulder. He could still remember the sounds of several people spending the night above deck with their heads hanging over the side.

"You know, we've docked. You can change forms now." Anduin said, wobbling a little as Wrathion's weight settled on his shoulder.

"I could. I don't wish to,"

"I'm not carrying you all the way to the castle."

"I'll change once we get off the ship."

"Why not now?"

"Because I'm pretty sure Left wants to murder me for dragging her out of Pandaria." Wrathion craned his neck, looking for the mentioned guard. "She's not here, is she?"

"No. And I don't see how being in your true form would keep her from strangling you."

"Because I'm small and cute and have big glowing red eyes."

Anduin pressed his lips together and fought not to laugh at Wrathion's poor imitation of trying to look cute. "Right."

"Don't laugh at me, human."

"I'll laugh if I damn well want to." Anduin replied. He moved to leave the cabin he'd been sharing with Wrathion and headed up to the deck.

As they arrived above deck, Wrathion craned his head to look at the harbor of Stormwind. There were plenty of tall masts in the harbor and on the horizon, a majority of the Alliance fleet returning home after waging war in Pandaria against both the Horde and Garrosh and other things. Across the harbor rose a great stone pathway that led up and into the city. "It's huge." Wrathion commented.

"Yeah," Anduin agreed. "But you get used to it. It's pretty much one huge circle anyway." He started off the ship, following a few of the sailors and soldiers onto the dock.

Wrathion couldn't see anybody that had been with the honor guard waiting on the docks, but he could see his guards ranged about in strategic locations, all watching and waiting. "Where's your father?"

"He went on ahead with everyone else to see Tyrande and the night elves off." Anduin stepped onto the pier and headed toward the far end of the harbor, toward the path that would lead into the city. He got about halfway before Wrathion fluttered to the ground and, in a split second, assumed his human form. Anduin watched as the Black Prince's guard practically swarmed around the two of them. "It always creeps me out when they do that."

Wrathion smiled. "I think it's quite charming."

Anduin stared at his friend for a long moment. "Can you tell them to ease off, maybe? I don't think anyone is going to attack us in Stormwind."

"You don't know that."

"I think I do." Anduin gave Wrathion a long, lazy smile. "Or are you scared?"

Wrathion glowered at Anduin. "I am not scared."

"Oh? Because I think you're standing a little too close. Like you want me to protect you. Like you're afraid of seeing Onyxia's ghost or something like that."

"You're an ass, Wrynn." Wrathion growled. But he stepped away from Anduin and waved back his guards. Anduin just watched, smiling, as Wrathion led the way into the city of Stormwind.

Everything was just like Anduin remembered. The streets were bustling with people from every race that belonged to the Alliance, including the Tushui Pandaren. A Draenei that stepped into Anduin's path paused, then inclined her head, a sign of respect. He returned the gesture, smiling, then continued on his way. Anduin chose to head through Cathedral Square. It was probably the safest way of getting to the keep and avoiding the Trade District entirely. It was always crowded, and was probably even more so now that the Alliance would be celebrating the defeat of the Horde's Warchief, Garrosh Hellscream.

When they reached the keep, after Anduin had to drag Wrathion away from the Dwarven District practically kicking and screaming, Anduin spotted his father standing with a small contingent of guards, as well as Tyrande Whisperwind. There was another night elf there as well. Anduin recognized her as Tyrande's adopted daughter, Shandris Feathermoon.

"I thought you said your dad was seeing them off?" Wrathion asked.

"I did. He was." Anduin started to approach. He saw his father glance at him, then return his attention to the night elves. Anduin bowed to Tyrande as he reached his father, then asked, "I thought you were heading home, Lady Tyrande."

Tyrande smiled, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "We were. That is, until we learned that Garrosh Hellscream's trial would be held soon."

"Taran Zhu and the Shado-Pan are taking care of the details." Varian said, his voice gruff. Anduin bit his cheek to keep from smirking. This was an argument Varian had had many times before, though the person he'd been arguing with hadn't been Tyrande. "He said he would contact me when it was time. And I told you that I would send word as soon as I knew anything."

"Yes. I know." Tyrande smiled. "But I would still feel comfortable if someone I trusted stayed here, to make sure."

Varian's eyes narrowed slightly, but he said nothing. Instead, he looked at Anduin. "What do you think?"

Anduin blinked. Why was his father asking him? "I think it's reasonable. But Stormwind's gonna be dreadfully boring, and there's always so many people. I don't think someone not from here would be able to stand it for very long. And there's no telling when Taran Zhu would contact us."

"That's the rub, isn't it?" Wrathion spoke suddenly. "Everyone wants to be the first to know, the first to arrive, as if that would change anything about Garrosh's fate."

Tyrande turned to Wrathion, studying him. "You must be the Black Prince. I've heard your machinations helped our champions to defeat the former Warchief."

Wrathion gave her a toothy smile. "I wish you wouldn't use the word 'machinations', Lady Tyrande. That makes my plans sound evil, and I'm desperately trying to steer clear of that."

"Yes, and that's why you ordered the assassinations of every living black dragon in Azeroth." Tyrande replied.

Wrathion's expression didn't change, but Anduin could tell by the subtle shift of his body that he wasn't happy with Tyrande's observation. So Anduin stepped between Wrathion and Tyrande and smiled. "The fact is, we won. Now we should deal with the problems left behind. Pandaria will need help and time to recover, so we should focus on that."

"Tyrande," Varian said, his voice gruff, "now isn't the time to be fighting amongst ourselves for something out of our control. Leave someone here if it'll make you feel better. I'll make sure she is the first informed, and see that she gets to you immediately."

Tyrande seemed to consider Varian's words for a moment. Then she tilted her head and looked at Shandris. "Would you be willing to stay and await word from Taran Zhu?"

Shandris blinked, like she was surprised to be the one chosen. "If you wish, I'll stay."

Tyrande smiled and raised her hand to press it against her adopted daughter's cheek. "You're the only one I can trust with this."

Shandris smiled. "Then you can count on me, mother."

"May Elune be with you."

Varian stepped closer to Tyrande, brushing past Anduin and Wrathion. "Go inside and get cleaned up. We're going to be very busy."

"Who's this 'we' you speak of?" Anduin asked with a knowing grin. Varian's lips twitched, but that was about all of the emotion Anduin wrangled from his father. He pulled Wrathion into the keep, aware Shandris was following them. The blonde Prince let out a silent sigh. Home barely for an hour and already they were preparing for the next crisis.

"Anduin?"

Both boys paused to look at Shandris. She seemed confused, looking around like something wasn't quite right. "What's wrong?" Anduin asked.

Those words seemed to be the key. One moment, everything was deadly silent, and the next everything was suddenly vibrating. Anduin called upon the Light and flung a shield over the three of them as the massive stones above their heads threatened to fall down. Wrathion bared his teeth and crouched, hands splayed against the stone at his feet as though he could do something to stop the violent shaking. Shandris was crouched, too, more for balance than anything else.

As fast as it started, it was over.

Anduin slowly let his shield dissipate and turned to look at the interior of Stormwind Keep. Nothing looked completely destroyed, but he could see all of the books in the library had been knocked off their shelves and a few paintings had fallen from their mountings, but there had been no injuries. As far as Anduin could tell, anyway.

Then Wrathion suddenly doubled over clutching his head. He let out an agonized scream, startling Anduin, Shandris, and Wrathion's guard. Anduin grabbed hold of his friend as Wrathion nearly collapsed, holding him close. The black dragon's body was twitching violently, as though he were having a seizure. His eyes had rolled back into his head, and his teeth were clenched so hard Anduin was afraid they'd break. Then Wrathion arced so violently that Anduin swore he heard his spine crack, and then Wrathion went limp in his arms.

"Is he okay?" Shandris asked, kneeling beside Anduin. "Is he dead?"

"He's not dead," _I hope._ Anduin tilted Wrathion's head toward him. His friend was out cold, but his eyes were moving rapidly under their lids, and his breathing was fast, like he'd just gone running. Anduin touched his fingers lightly to Wrathion's skin, but he couldn't sense any wound, even internally. Finally, Anduin let one of Wrathion's guards take him, then rose to lead them to a room they could use. "I don't know," Anduin said. "This has never happened before, in all the time I've known him."

"Will he be okay?" Shandris asked, following after Anduin as he led the small group down the hall.

"I don't know." Anduin replied softly. But his fist clenched tight, and he decided he would find out exactly what happened to his friend. One way or another.


	5. Chapter 5

Five

Karidormi soared down into the Caverns of Time and landed lightly on the sandy floor. She assumed her smaller form and made her way toward the back of the cave, toward a long path that would have a time portal at the end. She'd spent a great deal of time - probably more than she should have - trying to convince Kalec to let her into the Nexus and access the great archives of knowledge stored there. Of course, Kalecgos, Aspect of the Blue Dragonflight, had continuously refuted her requests, and eventually ignored her altogether, forcibly removing her from the Nexus. That left her final choice the Caverns of Time, where she hoped to glean some answers and formulate a plan to save Go'el and Azeroth.

Though Nozdormu had lost his powers, the Caverns still retained theirs. The magic here was beyond the bronze dragons' ken, and so they still decided to watch over the place, even though few people journeyed here anymore. Still, there were some adventurers who showed up to head into a timeway, either to relive some event or obtain some item otherwise unobtainable in the normal flow of time. So, several bronze dragons made this place their home, and watched over the different paths, perhaps to make sure no one tried to use the Caverns for evil or perhaps because the dragons just didn't want to interact with anything but each other.

Karidormi wended her way toward the timeway that would take her into the past. It was the timeway that took adventurers as far back as the War of the Ancients. She hoped that she could use the timeway not to see the events of the past, but to see if she could find a connection between the power of the Earth Warder and the corruption plaguing Go'el.

She stepped into the swirling portal and felt her body twisted this way and that as time flowed around her, taking her close enough to the exact point in the past where she wanted to be.

The portal dropped her into a battle.

Karidormi gasped and ducked under a swing from a felguard's cleaving blade. She spun, a spell already in her hand. She brushed her fingers against the felguard's forearm as she passed, and in a few short minutes, the demon froze. The expression on his face was one of surprise, and that look soon became horror as his body started to wrinkle and shrivel, years of his life sucked away in an instant. Karidormi quickly scrambled for cover, hurrying into a copse of trees and huddling under a dense collection of bushes. This was not what she had expected. She'd been dropped into a battle she'd never heard of before! She could see the Burning Legion and the armies of the night elves. She didn't see anyone she recognized from the stories, not did she see any dragons. Had she really landed where she wanted to be?

A shadow suddenly engulfed the field. Both the demons and night elves scattered, trying to seek cover. A moment later, Karidormi saw why.

Deathwing.

Karidormi watched as the black dragon soared overhead, his maw half-open. Molten earth sprang from his gullet, spraying the ground below with the fury of earth. That in itself didn't surprise her; what did was the fact Deathwing hadn't yet begun to cover himself in the adamantium plates. He was still Neltharion, still the Aspect of Earth. And he was fighting against the Burning Legion.

What time had she dropped into? According to history it was before the Burning Legion had come that Neltharion had begun his descent into madness. And it was as the Burning Legion was sweeping across Kalimdor that Neltharion had created the Dragon Soul, and had plotted to enslave the other flights to his will. So why was he here, fighting?

She got her answer soon enough. A blue streak shot overhead, and a cold snap washed across the field, freezing the demons in their tracks. Malygos laughed as he came about, dancing in the air as Neltharion banked, coming around to land gracefully among the icy statues, shattering them with his heavy claws. Malygos landed beside him, his tail swiping through more frozen demons.

"Nearly a legion!" Crowed the blue dragon Aspect. "I think I won this time."

"You think?" Neltharion laughed. "If it weren't for me burning them to ashes, you never would've gotten near them."

"Ah, but I did. So the win is mine."

"If that will help you sleep at night." Neltharion replied, his lips pulled back in a draconic grin. Malygos only gave him a sour look.

Karidormi watched, unsure of what to do. She could continue to observe the two dragons, or she could reveal herself. The latter was certainly a decision she was reluctant to make. She didn't know if Neltharion had already begun his evil machinations or if she had been dropped in an alternate timeline where he was never corrupted in the first place. Watching would be the safest option; she could observe from afar, and hopefully hear something that would be of use.

Malygos suddenly laughed. Karidormi belatedly realized she'd missed whatever Neltharion had said, so wrapped up in her own musing as she was. Malygos chortled, "Whatever would I do without you, my friend?"

"Suffer, I suppose." Neltharion replied. "We both know what would befall Azeroth should a flight vanish. I surmise the same would happen if there was no balance between the Aspects. As it is, I don't think we have to worry about that - the Burning Legion will make sure there isn't an Azeroth for us to protect."

"You're certainly pessimistic today."

Neltharion gave Malygos a toothy smile. There. Karidormi could see it, in that smile, in the way Neltharion's eyes focused on Malygos. This wasn't an alternate timeline - this was the days before Neltharion focused his energies in creating the Dragon Soul.

Karidormi didn't know why both Aspects were out here, killing the demons. According to her own history, the dragons didn't enter the fight until Rhonin and Krasus were able to convince them to do so. But perhaps not everything was how it was written in the history books. Even Nozdormu, who had been there in the War of the Ancients, rarely talked about what had actually transpired, and no one had actually been fool enough to try and go that far into the past.

But Karidormi had her answer. It was all about balance. The Aspects were out of balance. The Go'el in her dream had told her the same thing that Neltharion had just told Malygos, though in different words. There was a power flux, with four dragons on one side and an Orc on the other. The scales were tipped in the favor of the dragons, three of which had had millennia to become used to their Titan-given powers. Even Kalec had a natural affinity for the powers bestowed upon him before Deathwing's demise, because he had been born an immortal blue dragon.

But Go'el was mortal. He didn't have the time to learn to control the power of the Earth Warder. Even now, when the dragons were mortal, they would still outlive the younger races by thousands of years. There was no telling what would happen when the four Aspects finally died, but she couldn't even begin to imagine that. All she knew that the cause of Go'el's corruption was because he simply couldn't handle the full extent of the Earth Warder's power. It was like trying to fill a jar with a drum of water; the jar would only hold so much before the water began to spill over the edges and flood the room.

But why was it affecting Go'el this way? Was it because, as the Go'el in her dream had said, the other Aspects had simply left him on his own? Or was it another reason? The disease, if she could call it that, was starting to manifest as a physical ailment. Why was that?

The two Aspects before her suddenly took off, buffeting her with the wind from their wings. She watched them go, staring at the retreating black form of Neltharion. Then it hit her - Deathwing had used adamantium plates to hold his body together as the corruption had begun to tear apart his body. The power of the Earth Warder had been literally tearing its corrupted guardian apart. The only reason anything - or anyone - would tear anything apart would be to escape. And escape was generally the first step into going elsewhere.

Karidormi quickly transformed and launched into the air, speeding with all haste to the portal that would take her back to the Caverns of Time. She knew why Go'el was starting to become like Deathwing, at least in appearance. His body was a much smaller container for the power than the Aspects', so the power was seeking somewhere else to go. That happened to be outward, causing enough pain that eventually Go'el would simply snap. But _why_ was the new question Karidormi had to answer. Why was the power of the Earth Warder doing this, and why now? What was there that she wasn't seeing?

She raced through the portal, and once back in the Caverns of Time, she flew as fast as she could up through the tunnel and out into Tanaris. Then she angled her body north. She had to talk to Go'el now, and tell him what she'd learned. Maybe then, between the three of them, they could figure out what to do next.


	6. Chapter 6

Six

Anduin paced because he didn't know what else to do.

Wrathion hadn't woken up since he'd collapsed, and no one, not even the healers brought in to examine those who'd been hurt in the sudden earthquake could figure out what was wrong with the Black Prince. Wrathion had no external injuries, and the healers couldn't detect any internal ones. It was like Wrathion had simply fallen asleep and, like an errant child, refused to wake up.

But Anduin knew his best friend better than that. Not a moment passed that Wrathion wasn't looking over his own shoulder, waiting for the next threat to his life. Of course, recent events made him that much more a target, if Anduin could believe the whispered rumors. He didn't want to believe that Wrathion would forsake their friendship and the efforts so many put forth for his sake just so he could fulfill his own plans to protect Azeroth.

Anduin reached one end of the hall, turned around, and resumed pacing. About halfway, he passed Shandris, who was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed over her chest. She, too, hadn't really moved from her spot, her eyes cast downward like she was contemplating something. Anduin didn't want to ruin her thought process, and Shandris seemed inclined to reciprocate, so she didn't say anything when he turned around and started pacing away again.

Finally, a door opened and Anduin turned to look at the person exiting the room. Kalec, or Kalecgos, was the former Aspect of the Blue Dragonflight. With his flight all but disbanded, he had joined Jaina Proudmoore in Dalaran. Anduin didn't really know who else to turn to to ask about dragon ailments, so he'd sent a message to Jaina asking her if he could borrow Kalec for a while. Jaina had sent Kalec with her own message - Anduin could borrow Kalec if she could borrow Anduin. Anduin had to agree, though he wasn't sure why Jaina wanted to borrow him. Still, he wanted to find out what was wrong with Wrathion, and if he had to consign his summer away to his aunt then he'd do it.

Kalec looked troubled. He looked at Anduin and Shandris, then approached them. "There's nothing wrong with him, physically. I could sense something amiss as far as his magic goes, though."

"Like what?" Anduin asked.

"Well, every Dragonflight has a specific magic, unique to their own kind. Wrathion's magic is in flux, like something attacked it. He should be waking up soon, though." Kalec blinked as he noticed Anduin's expression. "What's wrong?"

"About a month or so ago, the moron ate the heart of Lei Shen." Anduin said, barely hiding his disgust for the act. "He started spouting nonsense and attained the power of the Titans."

Kalec frowned. "That could be part of it. His body would need time to adjust to that power, especially because he's so young and hardly used to his own powers."

"But would that cause him to collapse?" Shandris asked.

Kalec shrugged. "I don't know. All I know is what I told you. If his condition changes, gets worse, send for me. I don't know much about black dragons, but I think I could still help. I doubt he'd be willing to let anyone else near him like that."

Anduin nodded. When Kalec offered his hand, Anduin gripped it tightly. "Thank you, Kalec. And tell Aunt Jaina I'll spend the summer with her. Right now, I think dad would have a fit if I went anywhere out of his sight."

Kalec smirked. "I'll tell her." He let Anduin go and walked down the hall, where he could reach a courtyard big enough to allow him to transform and fly back to Northrend and Dalaran.

Shandris let out a soft sound. "I guess we won't know more until Wrathion wakes up."

There was a sudden crash and Anduin heard the familiar cursing of an irate black dragon. He smirked. "Guess he's awake."

Shandris raised a brow and gestured down the hall.

Anduin led the way, knocking on the door. "Wrathion? Can we come in?"

"Yes! Anduin, what the hell is this? Where am I?"

Anduin and Shandris entered the room, and Anduin saw Shandris purse her lips together to keep from laughing. Anduin, being a prince, had far more control over his emotions. However, because Wrathion was his best friend, Anduin burst out laughing.

Wrathion shot him a glare, which made him seem all the more ridiculous. Wrathion had reverted back to his natural form once he'd been unconscious long enough. To keep him from thrashing around, Kalec must've tied his arms and legs down, and hadn't bothered to remove them. Which meant Wrathion, now that he was awake, had discovered himself tied to a bed in a strange room and no memory of how he got there. Which brought about a violent reaction, and now Wrathion stood beside the destroyed bed with his arms and ankles still bound to the bedposts. "Stop laughing."

Anduin took a deep breath. "I'm done."

"Sure. Now what the hell did you do to me?"

"You collapsed." Anduin said. "Do you remember that?"

Wrathion frowned. "I remember walking into the palace. I remember feeling this surge, not unlike the time I ate Lei Shen's heart and took what was rightfully mine, and then... then I woke up here! Like this!"

Anduin frowned. "Like that time?"

"Almost like. It was..." Wrathion's face screwed up in an interesting expression. "Like being struck with two different bolts of lightning."

"Because we often survive that." Shandris said dryly.

Wrathion glared at her too. Then he looked at Anduin. "You know what I mean."

Anduin nodded. "So it was the Titan power."

"Maybe. But, I remember an earthquake." Wrathion said, finally pulling the ropes off his wrists and ankles. He tossed them across the room. "There was an earthquake, wasn't there?"

"There was. And as soon as it was over, you collapsed."

"Do you remember anything between that moment and when you suddenly collapsed?" Shandris asked.

Wrathion frowned. His head tilted one way, then the other. His frown grew more severe. "I remember something. Barely. It was like a dream. And then the world exploded."

"What is it?" The night elf asked, prompting a look from Anduin.

Wrathion shrugged, his eyes casting down to the floor. "A voice. No, hundreds, no, thousands of voices, all crying out in pain. I thought I could feel the forest in Ashenvale being felled, or the land in Azshara being blown to bits."

Shandris frowned, a thought passing over her features. She didn't seem willing to share whatever that thought was, though, and Anduin wasn't going to push her. He decided to wait until he and Wrathion were alone to find out what his friend had really felt, because it was obvious from the look on Wrathion's face he didn't want to keep sharing. At least, not with Shandris around.

"So," Wrathion started.

"So?" Anduin asked.

"What's for dinner? I'm starving."


	7. Chapter 7

Seven

Karidormi landed lightly outside a small clearing that had been made by two small earth elementals. They stood sentinel watching for any unwelcome guests, but completely ignored her, even when she shifted forms. She walked carefully between them, eyeing each elemental as she might a larger dragon, then slipped through a veil that had been erected to give the illusion that it was nothing but forest beyond the two elementals. When Karidormi turned to look back at the elementals, she saw that they were gone. But where they had stood was a disturbed pile of dirt and rock, no doubt ready to spring to life if they sensed the slightest bit of danger.

Karidormi walked carefully up the path toward a cave hidden in the Alterac Mountains, a cave she would've never known was there had she not been looking for it. She wasn't surprised Go'el had chosen to go into hiding here - the Alterac Mountains were where his clan, the Frostwolves, made their home. And the aged shaman Drek'Thar lived there still, and he could be contacted if needed. Or at least, that's what Karidormi believed. Drek'Thar wouldn't hesitate to help save Go'el, if Go'el needed saving.

Aggra met Karidormi half way up the trail. With her was Snowsong, Go'el's wolf companion. The white wolf watched Karidormi with a strikingly intelligent gaze, then turned and loped up the trail. Aggra snorted. "I told her I could do this myself."

"You're her life-partner's life-mate." Karidormi replied.

"Doesn't mean I'm some fragile little thing that needs to be babysat."

"No, but I bet you she wants to feel useful."

Aggra snorted again. "Speaking of useful, I'm assuming that's why you're here?"

Karidormi started after the Mag'har Orc, keeping up despite Aggra's quick pace. "Yes and no."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning, I know why Go'el is becoming the way he is, but I don't know how to help him. I was hoping, between the three of us, I could tell you what I discovered and we could figure out a solution together."

Aggra's shoulders tensed. "Two."

"What?"

"The two of us. Go'el fell asleep last night and hasn't awoken. I've done everything I could think of to wake him, but he doesn't respond. And the marks on his arm have spread to his chest. I fear he's running out of time."

"Time isn't on our side then." Karidormi sucked in a breath, and began to tell Aggra everything she has learned from her trip to the past. Aggra was silent as they walked, listening and digesting every word Karidormi was saying. "And that's why his body is becoming corrupted. The power of the Aspect of Earth is slowly leaking out, and with nowhere to go, it's starting to change his form into something that can contain it."

"But why? And why now? Why not during the Hour of Twilight? Why not during the confrontation with Garrosh?"

"My only guess is that he was using the power. It had purpose, had somewhere to go rather than filling him up. Now that Deathwing is dead and Garrosh defeated, there's nothing more Go'el can do with the power."

"So simply healing the wounds of Azeroth won't be enough?"

"I don't think so. Not unless he does it by himself with no one helping and no rest. The power of the Earth Warder is a tremendous thing, Aggra. Deathwing was able to control that power for thousands of years before he succumbed to the whisperings of the Old Gods, and even then, he was still able to control it, even as it tore his body to pieces." Karidormi said.

"So what do we do?" Aggra said, pausing outside the mouth of a deep cave. She glanced in, perhaps hoping that she would see Go'el walking out, healed and whole.

"I don't know." Karidormi answered honestly. "I don't know how Go'el came to have the powers of the Earth Warder, and I only know in theory the ritual used to transfer the Aspect's power to another body. The only flight in all of history to do such a ritual was the Blue Dragonflight, and no outsiders were invited."

Aggra scowled. "And I suppose asking would get us only upturned noses and demands to go away."

"If I couldn't get into the Nexus, even as a dragon, I doubt anyone from that flight would tell us how the new Aspect gets chosen."

"And the ritual wold be irrelevant now, anyway."

"The Aspects are still the Aspects, even diminished. They're still the unquestioned leaders of our flights. Eventually, a new Aspect will be chosen to lead the flights, but I don't think we have that kind of time."

"No," Aggra agreed, "no, we don't." She sighed and gestured for Karidormi to follow. "Come take a look at Go'el. Perhaps two pairs of eyes studying him will bring answers we as individuals wouldn't otherwise be able to discern."

Karidormi entered the cave and shivered. Despite the fire crackling and the heat she could feel, it still seemed bitterly cold. Go'el was lying on a pallet of animal skins, covered with both furs and hand-woven blankets. Snowsong sat nearby, her eyes focused on Go'el. Karidormi stepped closer to Go'el and felt her heart fall into her stomach. The marks had started to spread up his neck. They were moving at an advanced pace, far more quickly than before. Karidormi knelt by him and held her hands over the blackened, cracked skin. She didn't have much power, but she could still try to slow the spread, to give Go'el more time.

"I've tried everything," Aggra said. "And I've even asked the elements to help. They can only do so much, and it's still spread this far."

"I don't have much power," Karidormi said, "but I'm hoping with what little I have left I can delay it some. I don't know if it'll work, so we'd better start coming up with ideas."

"If you do what you can, I think we'll be a step ahead." Aggra crouched beside Karidormi. "Do you really think his body simply couldn't stand the power anymore?"

"I don't know. It's auspicious timing, if you want my opinion. The very same thing that happened to Deathwing is happening to Go'el? It seems highly improbable. Still, the power of the Earth Warder was given to a full grown dragon, meant for a dragon. I don't think the Titans ever dreamed that their gifts would end up being wielded by mortal hands."

Aggra frowned deeply, lost in thought for a moment. "It's a shame all the black dragons were purged from Azeroth. If there was just one, perhaps we could see about giving some of the power to it."

"Not all the black dragons are gone." Karidormi replied.

"You're talking about that whelp, Wrathion?" Aggra scoffed. "I doubt that pup could handle the power of an Aspect let alone be a good one. There's too many secrets and rumors wrapped around that whelp, none of which, if they prove true, would bring me any comfort."

Karidormi pulled back, her fingertips trailing against her work to seal the spells into Go'el's skin. Her power over time had diminished considerably, but she had managed to bind enough to Go'el to hopefully slow his degeneration. "No, not Wrathion. There are black dragons in Outland. In the Blade's Edge Mountains."

"You think one of them could handle it?"

"I don't know. I know of another who managed to stay free of Deathwing's madness. At least, it appears that way."

Aggra snorted. "You can't trust black dragons, even the seemingly uncorrupted ones."

"What other choice do we have?" Karidormi asked. "Go'el _will_ die if we allow this to continue, and there's no other shaman in this world or Outland that could handle the power of the Earth Warder."

Aggra looked at Karidormi with enough fire in her eyes to make the bronze dragon get to her feet. The Mag'har Orc eventually turned her gaze to her mate and reached to take hold of his hand. Whatever was passing between them, Karidormi didn't know, but eventually Aggra nodded and turned to regard the bronze dragon.

"If a black dragon it must be, then I guess we have little choice. Go. See if you can find one willing to take on that mantle." Aggra sucked in a deep breath. "I'll stay here and keep watch."

"I'll try not to take too long," Karidormi promised. She turned to leave the cave. Aggra grabbed hold of her arm.

"If I need you, how will I be able to contact you?"

Karidormi tilted her head, then shifted. She reached to tear off a section of her dress, holding the soft material between her fingers. She closed her eyes and concentrated, focusing all of her energy on that swatch of cloth and its shifting colors. When she opened her eyes, the cloth had taken on a bright golden sheen, one that shifted colors when Karidormi shifted it one way or another. She carefully tore it in half and gave one piece to Aggra. "Tilt it left, and it'll turn black. My piece reacts just the same, see? If you need me, just turn it."

Aggra took the swatch and tilted it. She watched Karidormi's piece turn the same color and nodded. "Be careful."

Karidormi smiled. "I'm a dragon. I don't think I have to worry about much."

Aggra only made a noise in the back of her throat and turned to once more sit by Go'el's side. Karidormi quickly left the cave and launched into the air, winging toward Tirisfal Glades. The quickest way to get to the Dark Portal would be to take the portal in Undercity to the Blasted Lands. But before that, Karidormi knew she would need to prepare. She'd never actually been to Outland before, and didn't know what she would find out there. Would there be food? Shelter? Would she be better off traveling as Horde or Alliance?

She changed direction in increments, heading away from Tirisfal Glades. Stormwind would be her destination, she decided. From there, she would head to the Blasted Lands, once she had satisfied the niggling curiosity growing inside her. She hadn't wanted to acknowledge it before now, but if Go'el was undergoing his metamorphosis because of the power of the Earth Warder, then she wondered what was happening to the only living blood heir to Deathwing. She was certain that Go'el's fate was intertwined with Wrathion's, even if the only link between them was the power of the Titans.

She flew hard for the south, hoping she could reach Stormwind before anything else happened.


	8. Chapter 8

Eight

"...And so that's what happened."

Anduin frowned deeply at Wrathion. The two were in Anduin's chambers, finally alone after being pestered all through dinner by giggling girls. Even Varian had looked uncomfortable with the amount of people who had come for the feast welcoming the prince and King home, along with the Black Prince, who had been the topic of many a twittering girls' conversation and batting eyelashes. Of course, Shandris had been a constant shadow to the two of them, watching them both like a hungry hawk. She, at least, had enjoyed a peaceful dinner.

"And you're sure about this?" Anduin asked. "You really saw this happen?"

"Saw it? Anduin, I _felt_ it. I felt the land being torn apart, felt things that I can't even describe. I've been telling you, there's a great threat to Azeroth coming, and... and I think it might be me."

Anduin leaned back in his seat. Wrathion folded his arms over his chest and looked at the blonde like Anduin would be able to come up with the right answer that would fix everything. "But you were older, right?"

"I don't know. All I know is that I was causing, or at least helping, the destruction of the very place I've been trying to save. I saw what I saw."

"I believe you. It just sounds so... so..."

"Stupid? Because there's no way that I could have any dominion over dreams, or time, or magic, and there's no way that I could ever have the power over the earth."

"Quit being sarcastic. I've been around the block a time or two - just because something lost its powers doesn't mean it's powerless. But what you said... You were flying over Stormwind, and then you were transported right to Kalimdor."

"And then I saw that the forests of Ashenvale had been burned to ash, and the rivers had dried up. And Orgrimmar was just a hollowed out shell, filled with fire and death. And as I passed into Durotar, there was this massive army, ready to match south. And they cheered when they saw me, Anduin. They _cheered_."

"And that was when you broke Durotar in half, like the Barrens are now."

"Exactly. And I felt the power of the Earth Warder in me. It was so strong and unhinged and all I wanted to do was destroy everything I saw before me. Strange thing is, I don't think I was alone. Someone else was there, someone stronger than me. I think he was pulling my strings, because there was something about him that made me want to serve."

Anduin frowned. "That's the part that worries me the most. If someone had enough power to control you, then there would be very little we could do against such a person, or thing, like that."

"You have before. You'd figure out a way."

"Yeah, but I think if we had to fight you, an army, and whoever was controlling you, we'd be in deep shit even if all the races of the world worked together."

Wrathion smirked at that. It was short-lived, but it was a smirk nonetheless. "Still, I don't like the feel of it. My gut tells me this is the coming future, if I took any stock in certain futures. That's bronze territory."

"In my life, I've learned to go with my gut." Anduin said.

"I'm starting to think that too."

"So what do we do? Even if I managed to convince my father that this was going to happen, you'd be placed under lock and key, if he didn't decide to implement the other plan first."

"Well, why don't we go to the source?" Wrathion asked. "We go to the one person who's been doing everything to put Azeroth back together?"

"You mean, go to Go'el?"

"Exactly. He more than anyone would be able to tell if a threat to Azeroth is coming. Besides, he also had the power of the Earth Warder. That power resonates with me, simply because Deathwing was my father, and I'm of the black lineage."

"Father would never let us go, even if we knew where Go'el was."

"Who said he has to know?" Wrathion said with a conspiratorial smile.

Anduin frowned and said, "He'll know. He always knows. There's like this sixth sense he has when it comes to me. He'll never let us escape alive, and even if we did mange to sneak past the castle guards, there's still the entire city we'd have to go through just to be able to get out."

"We could fly." Wrathion suggested.

"You're too small to carry anyone and the gryphon eyrie is always watched. Or did you forget we have a flight-master?"

Wrathion chose not to answer. His silence told Anduin enough. They sat and contemplated for a while, Anduin thinking of the myriad ways one could escape Stormwind and Wrathion thinking about ways he could survive Varian's wrath. Then Anduin sat up and got to his feet. Wrathion watched him curiously.

Anduin peeked out the window in his room and down onto the ramparts of the castle, and the stretch of city beyond. He nodded, as if he'd just confirmed something, then looked toward Wrathion. "The Deeprun Tram."

Wrathion raised an eyebrow. "What about it?"

"If we take the Deeprun Tram to Ironforge, we can sneak out of that city into Dun Morogh. From there, it's just a few days' walk to the Wetlands. We cross the Thandol Span into the Arathi Highlands, head for Tarren Mill, and go north to Alterac from there."

"Giving Tarren Mill a wide berth, I hope." Wrathion said with a smirk. "Last I heard, that town was still quite unfriendly toward Alliance-kind."

Anduin rolled his eyes. "Of course avoiding the actual place. But that town is the closest to Alterac, and you seem to be neutral with just about everyone, so you can go get supplies if we need them. Beyond that, the real challenge will be actually finding Go'el."

"Ah, and there I shall reveal my own plan. I'll be able to sense him. We are kin, after a sense." Wrathion smiled as he got to his feet. He stretched and gave an appreciative hiss when joints popped. "So, when should we begin to undertake our scheme?"

"Tomorrow night."

Wrathion blinked. "So soon?"

Anduin smiled. "You have anything better to do?"

Wrathion considered for a moment, then shook his head. "Tomorrow night sounds good. I suppose while you're off doing princely things, I could get our things together."

"No telling anyone. That includes your guard. They can't come with us."

"My dear prince, I've lived this long by keeping my thoughts and desires hidden from even those who serve me. It'll be a piece of cake, so relax. By this time tomorrow, we'll be on our way to Ironforge, and if our luck holds, perhaps traipsing in knee deep snows as we wonder what possessed us to think this was a good idea."

"Shut up and get out of my room."

Wrathion left Anduin then, his laughter audible even as he vanished down the hallway.


	9. Chapter 9

Nine

It was difficult trying to pretend like they weren't going to be rebellious teenagers in a few short hours. Anduin thought Wrathion had worse acting than he did, but then, Wrathion's reputation often preceded him, so not many people batted an eye when the Black Prince started acting strangely. Anduin, on the other hand, was under constant scrutiny, both by his father and the other members of the court. Of course, Varian's idea of scrutiny and the court's idea of scrutiny were vastly different things, and Anduin was surprised by how much Varian actually kept an eye on him - which seemed not at all, but there was always that flicker of motion out of the corner of Anduin's eye that told him someone was following him. And they were good. SI:7 good. So Anduin knew without a doubt that his father probably suspected he was going to do something stupid and was debating with himself on whether or not he'd let Anduin get away with it.

Sure, Varian had lightened up a bit and relaxed the "rules" he'd set for himself when it came to Anduin, but Anduin knew his father would sooner make peace with Sylvanas than let Anduin go traipsing about (as Wrathion had said) with his only protection being a half-grown dragon and the Light as his weapon.

Of course, what Varian didn't find out until much, much later wouldn't hurt him, so Anduin did his best to be the dutiful son and not cause too much trouble while still trying to be his normal self.

There was one thing though that neither Anduin nor Wrathion had factored into their plans.

Her name was Shandris Feathermoon.

Though she kept mostly to herself, Anduin had a hard time trying to pretend that nothing was happening when she was around. Shandris often stared at both of them, as if she could read their minds or look into their souls. And Anduin, who had a hard time keeping a secret of just about anything that he knew wasn't right, was finding it difficult not to sweat when the night elf looked his way for any reason. Wrathion thought it was terribly amusing.

When night fell again, Wrathion and Anduin made their usual appearance for dinner and spent a little time with the court instead of rushing off to bed. It was better they acted as normal as possible so people didn't get curious. When they finally were able to retreat, Anduin made an ostensible show of returning to his chamber. A few minutes later, Wrathion snuck into his room, carrying with him two large packs. Then he offered Anduin a set of clothes that looked like they had been nicked from a servant.

"What's this?" Anduin asked, holding up the tunic.

"Non-prince clothing." Wrathion replied. "Figure it's best if we don't travel as ourselves. See? This is what I'm wearing." Wrathion spread his arms. Anduin raised a brow. Wrathion was wearing plate and chain mail over a black shirt and leather pants. Thick-soled leather boots stopped halfway up his shins, peeking over the greaves he wore. A sword was strapped to his side and a shield was strapped to his back. "I'm pretending to be a tank."

"You are a tank." Anduin said wryly. 'Tank', as both had learned from their adventures in Pandaria alongside adventurers, was a person, generally a warrior, death knight, monk, or paladin who had forged armor and weapons and honed skills specifically designed to take a beating to protect others in his or her party. Wrathion fit that bill better than some. Anduin sighed and tossed the tunic on the bed. "Well, I guess if I'm going to be a priest healer, I'd better look the part."

"Does that mean you're going to wear a dress?"

Anduin glowered at Wrathion. "They're robes, not a dress, and no, I'm not. Velen gave me something special to wear." _Though, I don't think this was what he intended them for._ Anduin thought to himself. He went to his bureau and pulled it open.

Hanging there, still as pristine as they were the day he got them, was a draenei's priest raiment specially designed for him. Anduin felt his cheeks heat as he saw the length of the robe, but shoved the emotion aside. He pulled the clothes out, and went behind the screen set in one corner of his room to change. The robes were a soft white cloth with gold trim, with hues of violet starting at the sides and going to the hem. A pair of dark pants went underneath and a belt wrapped around his waist, cinching with robe closed. It took a bit of maneuvering to get the hem of the robe to fall where he wanted it. A staff completed the ensemble, another gift from Velen. The weapon would help focus the Light when he used his spells.

When he stepped out from behind the screen, Wrathion started to smirk. Anduin glowered at him. "Not. One. Word."

Wrathion grinned widely. "Wouldn't dream of it. Are you ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be, I guess." Anduin took the pack Wrathion offered him and slung it over his shoulder. They crept to the door and peeked out. The hallway was clear, so they quickly bolted down the hall, hurrying for the main courtyard that would take them to the main hall and out of the castle entirely.

They reached the main gate with only a few scares. The guards patrolling the halls didn't pay much mind to what they couldn't see, and Anduin knew all of their patrols so he knew how much time they had to flit from one shadow to another.

Just when they thought they were home free and ten steps away from the castle, Wrathion immediately stopped and turned to face a shadow leaning against the wall. Shandris materialized out of the dark, dressed in her Sentinel armor. Her glaive was held loosely in her hand. Wrathion tensed, and Anduin stepped between them, unsure if he was trying to shield Wrathion or stop him from doing something stupid. Shandris raised a brow and tilted her head.

"And just where is the prince of Stormwind going at this hour?" She asked.

The fact she didn't even acknowledge Wrathion was not lost on Anduin. "We're going to see Thrall."

That made Shandris blink. "Why?"

Wrathion and Anduin exchanged glances. Then Anduin took a deep breath and told Shandris everything. When he finished, she was quiet, her silver eyes tilted toward the sky and the faint sliver of the moon there. For the first time, Anduin began to wonder why Shandris hadn't alerted the guard and asked as much.

She smiled. "I was your age once, a long time ago. Even I wanted to do some good for my people and friends, and had my own share of adventures. I wanted to be sure that this adventure had something solid behind it."

"In other words, you wanted to be sure Wrathion wasn't abducting me." Anduin replied.

There was a glint in her eyes that told Anduin all he needed to know, and both ignored Wrathion's aggrieved "Hey..." as they stared each other down. Shandris looked away first. Then she said, "I can't very well let the prince of Stormwind go wandering Azeroth with only a half grown dragon for a companion. Besides, any good adventurer knows a good group consists of a tank, a healer, and at least one melee or ranged damage dealer. I happen to fit both melee and ranged criteria."

"Even if we said no, you're coming anyway, aren't you?" Wrathion asked.

"Let me put it this way," said Shandris with a knowing smile, "either you let me come, or I start waking up the entire castle and alerting them to the fact that neither of you are where you're supposed to be."

"That's playing dirty." Wrathion growled.

"Like you can talk."

"Alright, enough." Anduin said. "We don't have much time. If we don't get moving, we're not going to make it."

Wrathion and Shandris eyed each other fur a moment before they finally nodded. Anduin sighed. As long as the two didn't seem to want to go for each other's throats, then Anduin figured they could get along fine. Anduin had his own questions, of course, but right now didn't seem like the right time to ask Shandris why she really wanted to join them, especially since she was supposed to be here as Tyrande's liaison. And the fact that she had been waiting for them to arrive meant that she had known at least a little bit of their plan. Of course, Anduin surmised as they followed Shandris through the dark streets to the Deeprun Tram, the leader of the Sentinels wouldn't have survived for over ten thousand years if she wasn't observant.

They had to dodge the night patrol twice, and Anduin was afraid the soldiers were already on their way to the castle to wake up his father and raise the alarm. He didn't even relax until they had hopped on the tram car and were halfway to Ironforge. At least Varian wouldn't be able to call on Moira and the Council of Three Hammers to interfere with Anduin's journey until he managed to send a messenger. And that messenger wouldn't be seen until the Queen-Regent woke up in the morning. Of course, that was if Varian sent a messenger. If he even knew where they were headed.

When they arrived in the Dwarven city, Anduin hung back a bit while Wrathion went on ahead. When Shandris came abreast of him, Anduin hurried to keep up with her. "So why are you really here?" He asked.

Her silver eyes flicked to him before they went back to staring at Wrathion. "You're too observant, for a human."

"I just know how to read people."

"If you had been born a night elf. I think I might've made an exception and brought you into the Sentinels."

"You're evading, and thank you. I guess."

Shandris was silent for a long while. They trailed behind Wrathion by a good few feet, watching him be mesmerized by this or that building or piece of decor or art. Then Shandris took a deep breath. "I felt the same thing you did. I felt the world cry out in pain through him. I haven't lived as long as I have without being observant and having a gut feeling that something bad is about to happen. And, right now, the only one powerful enough to be on par with that idiot over there is Go'el."

"You were going to go see him, weren't you?" Anduin asked. "And don't call Wrathion an idiot."

"Even though he is one?"

"Were you, or were you not, going to see Go'el."

Something glinted in Shandris' eyes. "I was going to go as far as I could. Failing meeting Go'el myself, I could at least talk to someone of the Earthen Ring. Then you two started acting strangely, and I thought it best to see where you were going."

"And it doesn't hurt to get out of doing what Tyrande asked you to do, right?"

"Sometimes even I want to be the rebellious child." Shandris replied with a smile.

They caught up to Wrathion and pulled him away from a stand set up to sell fruits and other things before he could get himself in trouble. Then they hurried toward the entrance of Ironforge, trying not to draw attention to their small party. Anduin didn't breathe until they had made it down the hill and onto the road that would take them out of Dun Morogh and into Loch Modan. They had made it one step in their long journey, and by the sound of Wrathion's irritated voice and Shandris' eerily calm one, Anduin figured it was going to be even longer.


	10. Chapter 10

Ten

Karidormi dodged left and right, trying to stay aloft as much as she could. The thunderstorm raging about her made it difficult for her to completely avoid the boulders launched her way, because she barely saw their shadows until they were nearly right on top of her. She had made it down from Alterac into the Hillsbrad Foothills, and taken a few hours to change shape and get some rest in Tarren Mill, which was as safe a place she could find. She'd gotten the feeling someone was watching her about the time she decided she'd go to the inn and try to sleep, so she slipped out the back and hurried toward a secluded area to transform. She burst into the air just before a shot rang out, and she'd felt something rip through the soft membrane of her right wing.

Now, whoever had fired that shot was flinging boulders her way, trying to bring her down. She had hoped that the storm would conceal her as she rushed for Arathi, but all it seemed to do was hinder her.

All the breath was forced out of her as a boulder scored a hit on her stomach. It pushed her upwards and disrupted the rhythm of her wings. She couldn't even recover; Karidormi saw the ground rushing up at her and braced herself for impact. She hit hard and rolled talon over wing, coming to a hard stop. She gasped and fought through the pain, forcing the transformation. She struggled up and tried to run, but something hit her in the legs. Karidormi hit the ground hard and rolled, flinging a spell behind her, in the direction the attack had come from. She heard a grunt, which told her she'd hit someone or something, then kicked her legs to free them. She was struggling to get up and run, and made her way toward the road.

She never made it.

Karidormi felt something hit her from behind, and her world upended. The last thing she saw was a blood elf male standing over her, the dagger in his hand held backwards.

Things came back into focus slowly. First, her vision, the blurry images slowly coming into clarity. Then her sense of hearing. Noises were muddled for a few minutes, but then she was able to make out voices. She was moving, but on the back of something. A beast? No. It was hard, and felt like wood. A cart then.

Karidormi blinked slowly and raised her head. She was in a covered cart, a small little wagon meant to carry goods rather than people. Outside, she could hear voices. Muddled at first, they became clearer as she became more aware - two females, harsh and deep, and three males, of similar voice. Orcs. Karidormi shifted as the wagon bounced over a rut and was able to twist her arms out from behind her back to her front. She looked at the spellbound rope with distaste; the fact that her captors were using it meant they either believed her to be the Mage she was pretending to be, or they knew exactly what she was and didn't want her going anywhere. She shifted again, this time able to pull back a bit of the canvas covering the cart.

Her suspicions were confirmed as she caught a glimpse of several orcs walking beside the cart. They were dressed like shaman, but not like any shaman she had seen before. With a sinking feeling Karidormi realized these shaman were what was left of Garrosh's Korkron Dark Shaman, and she realized why they were all the way out here in Arathi.

They knew where she had come from, and had decided to stop her from getting to her new destination.

The canvas at the back of the cart opened suddenly. Karidormi jerked back and looked sharply at the newcomer - and was surprised to see a blood elf standing there, half inside the cart. He looked just as surprised to see her awake and looking at him. He had bright green eyes and short blonde hair that stuck up in defiance of gravity. He was dressed in black leather, and she spied two sheathed daggers at his hips. She didn't doubt for a second that those daggers were poisoned, because everything she saw about him in those few moments told her he was a very accomplished rogue. He seemed to have made the same assessment about her, because he stepped into the cart cautiously and moved to stand over her.

"Hungry?" He asked, his voice young despite his worldly look and the confident way he stood over her. He crouched then, holding out a piece of bread. "It's not poisoned. I swear."

"I learned early to never trust a rogue." Karidormi said. "Especially one that looks like you."

The rogue smirked, but there was a coldness to it that made Karidormi wonder about her sanity in pushing him. "Well, right now, I'm the one person you can trust. Blood elf to blood elf, we have to stick together out here."

Karidormi cautiously took the bread he offered. "But you're working with them." She tilted her head to indicate the voices outside.

The rogue let out a quiet sigh. "Well, even I need to eat. And they're not that bad once you get past their desire for revenge and to reinstate the Dark Horde and their rightful leader."

"They're trying to destroy the world."

"Aren't we all?"

"I'm serious. Help me escape. I need to get to... to the Dark Portal. It's of the utmost importance that I get there."

He raised an elegant brow. "Seriously? I just got done telling you that I'm working with those guys and you want me to betray them? On just your word alone? Are you that stupid?"

"So sue me for trying to appeal to your obviously shriveled black heart." Karidormi spat.

Now the smirk had more humor. "You've got backbone, Mage. That might just save you in the end."

"It would be over faster if you'd free me."

"No, don't think that's gonna be happening." The rogue moved to the cart's rear, opening the canvas to jump out. "Just eat up. You're going to need all the strength you can get."

Karidormi watched him go, her nails digging into the crust of the bread he'd given her. Eventually, she raised her hands and took a small bite of the bread, turning her focus toward the rope that bound her wrists and her current predicament. It was obvious she wouldn't get out of here without a fight. And it was best she kept the reason for her travel a secret, even though she had an idea that the shaman at least knew what her quest was. If she could take the rogue's words at face value, then she could safely assume they all believed she was simply a mage, and that the bronze dragon they had shot down was her mount. It was plausible, especially since many adventurers had "adopted" wayward bronze drakes as pets.

The cart bounced suddenly, and Karidormi heard the grunts of wolves. They had left the road and were now traveling on grass. She finished the bread and shifted, trying to peek out at her surroundings again. All she saw was grass and stone. She sat back, trying to figure out where in Arathi these Dark Shaman would have their base. They couldn't use Hammerfall, or the outlying farms. Those places were controlled by Vol'jin's Horde, and they would find no peace there. Which left the ruins of Stromgarde, if they could get the denizens of the place to let them use it. There was also the Thandol Span, the broken bridge that led into the Wetlands.

The cart heaved to a halt. Karidormi heard a gruff voice order someone to retrieve "the prisoner". Karidormi tensed, waiting for someone to grab her from the cart, and was surprised that it was the rogue that stepped inside. Without a word, he hauled her to her feet, then helped her down from the cart. Her suspicions were confirmed as she heard the raging river below and looked up at the towering ruins of the Thandol Span. She also got a better look at her captors - all Dark Shaman, there were two females and three males, and all of them were leering at her like she was nothing better than the stain of mud on their boots.

"Bring her." One male snapped. He wore the skin of a wolf over his face, and his robes were richly embroidered with purple thread. He seemed to be the leader, because the others bowed their heads as he passed, then turned and followed him inside the ruined bridge, one by one.

"Shall we?" The rogue cupped her elbow and led her into the building. He was careful not to give her an opportunity to run - or kick him. Karidormi went along because she had to, but she was already planning her escape. She was careful not to let it show on her face because the rogue was watching her, as was one of the female shamans. Karidormi met the shaman's eyes and glowered at her, only to get a toothy response and a harsh, bark of a laugh.

Her eyes adjusted quickly as she was brought from bright day into the dreary inside of the stone building. She could see that the orcs had already transformed it into something suiting them - and the bloodstains on the walls were about as decorative as it was going to get. The rogue pushed her into a corner of what looked to be a dining room that had been made over into a prisoner's cell, then left her there, alone. Karidormi's suspicion was confirmed when one of the male shamans came to tower over her, and she felt the stone beginning to move. A weight wrapped around her ankle and Karidormi looked to find that a shackle of solid rock had encased her foot.

"That'll keep you quiet." He said, laughing.

Karidormi narrowed her eyes. "Just what do you think you're doing? I'm on an important mission for the Horde!"

Guttural laughter came from the door to the room. The shaman that had locked her up stepped aside, allowing the leader, the one wearing the wolf hood, to step forward.

"I know what mission you're on, blood elf." He said, his teeth bared in a grin. "And I'm here to make sure that you don't succeed."

A cold fist settled in Karidormi's stomach. "If you don't let me go, the whole of Azeroth will be destroyed! Do you really want that?"

"You seem to be under the impression I care." He replied. "This is very much about revenge and all that fancy talk, just as it's about realizing the dream of our Warchief. The fact that the new era will be brought about by a corrupted traitor is just poetic justice."

"You know what kind of condition Go'el is in?" Karidormi asked quietly, not quite believing what she was hearing.

"Of course I know. I'm the one who began his transformation."

Before Karidormi could press for more information, one of the female shamans appeared in the doorway. "Khargol, they're coming."

Khargol looked away from Karidormi for a minute. "You know what to do. Take Worluha with you. And tell Garekk to keep an eye on the rogue."

"You still don't trust him?"

"Do you?"

The female was silent for a moment. Then her eyes turned to Karidormi. "What about her?"

Khargol returned his attention to his prisoner. "There's nothing she can do. As long as we keep her here things will progress as I've planned. Of course, if she tries to escape, kill her."

The female grinned and left them. Khargol smiled down at Karidormi. "As long as you behave yourself, no harm will come to you. And when Garrosh is leading the Horde once more, I'll ask him to show you mercy."

"Gee, thanks. How considerate of you." Karidormi replied dryly. As Khargol turned to leave, Karidormi asked, "Why? Why corrupt Go'el like the Old Gods corrupted Deathwing?"

"Why not?" Khargol replied.

"I'm asking seriously."

He stopped at the threshold and turned to regard her. "Then I suppose you deserve a serious answer." He paused, considering his next words. "Because the irony of the Old Horde's greatest hero becoming its downfall pleases me. It also keeps my followers safe from retaliation, because I'm sure you are the only one embarking on a quest to stop Go'el's corruption somehow. And once Go'el falls completely, no one, not even the heroes of the Alliance and Horde will be able to stand against him and survive."

"How do you hope to control him?" Karidormi asked.

"Who said I was going to control him?"

She watched him leave, and shivered. Karidormi didn't know what to make of her captor. He seemed to have everything figured out, and knew what to do before his enemy could even react. She understood how he was corrupting Go'el - everyone had heard the story of how Garrosh's Dark Shaman had twisted the elements so normal shaman couldn't use them, so it stood to reason that Khargol was using the corrupted elements to "poison" Go'el, so to speak. The corruption wouldn't have taken Go'el more than a hour to fight off, and then locate the corrupter if he hadn't possessed the powers of the Earth Warder. Since he did, Khargol could direct his Dark Shaman underlings to corrupt the elements all over Azeroth, leaving Go'el no way to counter the multi-sided attack. Especially if he didn't know it was coming. And, as she'd seen, by the time he realized something bad was happening, it was already too late. And since Go'el and Aggra had no idea how to fix it, or where the source of the corruption was coming from, they had no way to counter it. Karidormi was the only one now who knew the truth, and despite that, she didn't know the first thing about healing the elements.

What she had to focus on was escaping. If she could get out of here, then she could... Could what? Warn Aggra that Go'el's corruption was being caused by Dark Shaman? What good would that do, except allow Khargol's corruption to further its hold on Go'el? She could send a message, but that wouldn't do anything but lead Khargol's cronies right to Aggra. Karidormi looked at the spelled rope binding her wrists. If, no, _when_ she escaped, she would have to fly faster than she'd ever flown in her life to the Dark Portal. Time was of the essence, and she had very little of it.

The spelled rope was her first obstacle. Any magic she tried would simply be absorbed and the rope would pull more tightly, making it nigh impossible for her to escape on her own. But it was a rope. More importantly, they believed she was a Mage, and so she figured an experiment was in order. Of course, if it backfired, she was in some real deep trouble, so this had better work, she prayed.

Karidormi lifted her wrists to her lips and took a deep breath. She held the air in her lungs for a moment before she exhaled on the rope binding her wrists. A fine golden mist, much like the sands of time, clouded the air as she breathed, coating the rope with a golden hue. As she watched, nervous, Karidormi watched the rope start to fray. She had only used a little power, the same power she'd used on Go'el in hopes she could slow the spread of the corruption for a time. Still, that little bit of power seemed to do the trick, because the rope was still fraying, still wearing away as its "time" was sped up. It didn't last long, and Karidormi hadn't expected it to. She knew she had to do this in stages. If she did it too fast, Khargol would catch on and probably do something to her in accordance to what he felt was the best punishment. She also knew that Khargol wasn't her only enemy. He had four followers at the least; he probably had more than that, considering he seemed to be the de facto leader on the Dark Horde now that Garrosh was no longer in power. She had no idea how many enemies she would face on the battlefield outside this door. She had to be careful.

Especially with the blood elf rogue, who she saw lurking outside her prison door, regarding her with an expression that Karidormi didn't like.

"What?" She bit out. "Your Dark Shaman friends kick you out of their club meeting?"

He twitched. "I was never part of their club. They just happen to have a deep purse."

"Oh, good. I'd hate to think you were with them because you actually want what they do."

His eyes narrowed. The green orbs burned with some fierce emotion Karidormi wasn't sure she could name. "I'm with them to make a living."

"Even though you know what they're doing is putting all of Azeroth in danger?"

Now his jaw tightened. "You don't know that."

Karidormi raised her bound hands. "Don't I? You were lurking there when Khargol was laying out his plan for me. You heard everything. So you tell me, what don't I know?"

The rogue's jaw worked. "Go'el could come back from it on his own."

"That's about as likely as Kael'thas returning from the dead and telling Lor'themar to give back rule of Silvermoon."

The rogue's eyes narrowed dangerously. "What do you know of Lor'themar?"

"Beyond the facts and history everyone knows, not much. I do know he fought in the Siege of Orgrimmar, right at the beach, with Sylvanas and Rommath and a whole bunch of heroes."

The rogue watched her for a moment, then he spun on his heel and stalked off. Karidormi waited until she was sure he was gone, then raised the rope to her lips again. She had to escape, and she needed to do it soon, or else she was certain there would be no recovering from the devastation about to befall her world.


	11. Chapter 11

Eleven

Dashiell sat in one corner of the "common" room, half listening to the conversation taking place around him and half listening to the memories flitting across his mind's eye. The Mage they had captured had piqued his interest, so he had done what he could to be kind to her. It was certainly more than the Dark Shaman had done. Her voice was sweet, like a summer breeze, and it definitely had steel in it when she was arguing with Khargol about the orc's plan for the former Warchief.

Dashiell really couldn't care less about the fate of the world or the fate of Go'el so long as there was a profit to be made somewhere, but he still couldn't get the look the Mage had given him out of his mind. She was genuinely one of those people who put the good of all before the good of one. When he'd eavesdropped on the conversation she'd had the Khargol, he couldn't help but start wondering what kind of profit would there be to make in a world ruled by the Dark Horde? If he was with them, he might be able to live with relative ease, but if he went against them, like most of the world had done, then he'd probably be dead before he could enjoy anything he was able to earn.

Of course, the same could be said if he decided to defy Khargol and help the pretty blood elf trussed up in the back room. He could almost see it now - him, standing defiant in the face of angry, powerful Dark Shaman for about all of five seconds before the elements had their wicked way with him. The rogue let out the breath he'd been holding in one long sigh.

Dashiell closed his eyes and thought back to his own conversation with the Mage. Lor'themar Theron had fought. Fought to free Orgrimmar and the Horde from the grip of a madman who wanted nothing more than to rule the world and destroy any who opposed him, even if the ones who opposed him were his own. Dashiell hadn't believed Lor'themar was capable of such a display of blatant disobedience. He'd always tried to lead his people down the path of hidden resistance, not a path that brought them into the line of fire. He'd always thought Lor'themar a coward, one who did what he could to not fight. When he'd been little, he'd looked up to Lor'themar. Now, though, Dashiell couldn't even bring himself to think positively about the man who was his older brother.

Dashiell Theron scrubbed his face with the palms of his hands and tried not to sigh too loudly. He never thought that his brother would actually do something that would help the world. He hadn't spoken to Lor'themar in years, and wondered if Lor'themar thought him dead. Better for it, considering the kind of life Dashiell was leading. If Lor'themar knew that he was helping a bunch of Dark Shaman who were trying to destroy the world Lor'themar just got done saving...

But then, Dashiell didn't care what Lor'themar would say. It wasn't like the older man had really done anything to convince Dashiell the world he was living in now was any better than the one awaiting in the future. He could just leave it to the heroes of Azeroth to deal with the trouble about to explode all over the planet. He could do a lot of things in regards to the challenge steamrolling his way.

_Sometimes I hate my life and this thing called a conscience. _Dashiell thought.

He rose and made his way toward the back room which had been turned into a makeshift prison to hold the Mage that seemed to irritate Khargol so much. As Dashiell approached the room, a feeling of wrongness set in. He slowed his steps and quieted his noises. He crouched low and vanished from sight before he continued to creep along the hall. When he reached the prison room he peered around the corner, not sure what to expect.

He certainly didn't expect to see the Mage free of her bonds and working to break the stone encasing her foot. He watched her for a while, fascinated. The rope that had bound her wrists had been wrought using fel magic and the hairs of a felhound, so nothing should've been able to make the rope break. Yet there it was, lying on the floor. Suddenly, the Mage stopped what she was doing and looked sharply toward the doorway. Her golden-green eyes narrowed, and for a moment, Dashiell was afraid that she'd seen him until he remembered he was invisible at the moment. Still, the way she studied the doorway made him feel like she knew someone was there, watching her. It was a few tense minutes before she looked away and returned to trying to break the rock encasing her foot.

Dashiell wondered why she was so adamant about getting free. Sure, she'd embarked on this little adventure to try and save the world; a lot of people seemed to do that lately. Danger would spring up and people would go try to put it back down. It didn't make much sense to the rogue. Why do something that's got no profit? Sure, you might find some poor defenseless critter that for some reason is carrying coin or a random piece of armor (which was just damn weird) but once you completed destroyed whatever it was you volunteered to destroy, there was nothing else you'd get in reward.

Was it for the thrill? For the feeling you were doing something good while having free reign to murder? There really wasn't much appeal to Dashiell for a job that didn't give you ample reward in either coin or gear.

He heard her let out a hiss. It didn't sound like a blood elf at all. He looked at her, and again was surprised to see her standing. Even more surprising, she was staring right at him. He was still invisible, wasn't he?

"Not going to call the alarm, rogue?"

He jumped. His cloak of invisibility fell off as he did so. He only realized she'd tricked him when he saw her smile. So he shoved his surprise down deep and pulled on a mask of indifference. "Should I? You haven't exactly escaped yet."

She tilted her head to the side. It bothered Dashiell that she seemed completely unconcerned with the fact he was standing between her and escape. It was like she was confident she could escape before he could do anything to stop her. He took a step forward.

She struck, fast and quick.

Dashiell sucked in his stomach to avoid the swipe and rolled out of range of her... "Claws?" He squeaked out. "You have claws?"

She smiled. "Claws aren't the only things I have." She sucked in a deep breath, then exhaled. A cloud of golden sand billowed out between them. Dashiell started forward and found himself slowing down as soon as those gold specks touched him. He watched her slip out the door before he could free himself from the cloud, but he soon gave chase.

She was good. Dashiell thought she could've been a rogue in mage's clothes the way she sneaked around the orcs. She also seemed to know her way around the place, because she was definitely heading for the entrance. _The alarm. I should raise the alarm._ But he didn't. Instead he followed her, because she intrigued him.

He caught up to her just before the main doorway opened into the afternoon sun. He grabbed her arm and spun her into the wall, pinning her there with a knife to her throat. "Is it too much to ask you to come back with me?"

Her answer was to kick him in the balls. Hard.

Dashiell howled and collapsed the moment she shoved him away from her. With tears in his eyes, Dashiell struggled to his feet and chased her into the open. She skidded to a stop suddenly and dodged left. Dashiell threw himself to the ground, barely avoiding the lighting bolt that flew over his head. Khargol stood ahead of them, his eyes narrowed and his teeth bared in a feral snarl. The Mage got to her feet and calmly brushed grass from her dress. Dashiell didn't dare move, only because he wasn't sure what was about to happen.

"You're stubborn, aren't you, girl?" Khargol spat.

"Does that bother you?" She replied calmly. Dashiell stared at her, unsure what to think. When he'd first talked to her, she'd been scared, almost desperate for him to help her. Now, she was just eerily calm, like she knew the Dark Shaman was nothing compared to her. Maybe she could do her save-the-world quest on her own after all.

"Nothing you do will stop what's coming." Khargol said. Lightning cracked around him. "It's already written in stone. Go'el will fall, and I will use him to free Garrosh."

"Nothing is written in stone." The Mage replied. "Especially not the future. That can always change."

"And how do you plan to stop me? With that fool of a rogue?"

Her head tilted to the side but she didn't look at Dashiell. Her eyes stayed on her enemy. Dashiell got to his feet and slowly came to her side. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see several Dark Shaman appearing, moving to flank Khargol.

"You think the two of us can beat four shaman?" Dashiell asked her lowly.

"Who said it would be the two of us?" She whispered. "Are you saying you're going to help me?"

Dashiell shrugged. "Why the hell not? I never really liked these guys anyway."

Now she looked at him. She couldn't tell if he was serious or not, but she decided to take him at face value. "When I tell you to, run across the bridge. Don't look back."

"You're suggesting a retreat?"

"If it took ten people to kill two Dark Shamans, what do you think two can do against four?"

She had a point there.

Khargol let out a bark of laughter. "Even if you run, I will find you. And this time, I won't give you the courtesy of chains, blood elf."

The smile she gave Khargol was razor sharp and definitely not a grin a blood elf face could, or should, make. "I'll extend you the same courtesy, Orc. The next time we meet, I will kill you."

Khargol laughed, a deep sound full of actual mirth. "I'll be looking forward to it. And when you're lying at my feet, begging me for death, I'll be sure to make it slow." Without preamble, he attacked. So did the others. Lightning arced in from all sides.

Dashiell didn't hear her signal - she shoved him hard toward the bridge and he took off running as fast as he could. He hit the bridge and saw the Wetlands beyond. He heard screaming behind him and fought the instinct to look. She was dead. She had to be.

Something soared over his head. Panic flooded his blood and he ran faster. That shadow ahead of him started getting bigger and bigger and then a giant claw wrapped around his waist. Two seconds later, Dashiell was in the air, watching the ground grow smaller and smaller. He felt ice skitter through his veins. Slowly, he turned his head and stared up at the face of a bronze dragon. One gold-green eye focused on him and the dragon's lips pulled back to reveal sharp teeth larger than Dashiell.

Dashiell didn't think he screamed louder in his entire life than he did now.


	12. Chapter 12

Twelve

Wrathion slogged through the muddy water, grumbling the entire time. Anduin was right behind him, with Shandris bringing up the rear. They'd managed to make it to the Wetlands with minimal damage, though Wrathion had proven himself a capable tank. It was rather amusing to watch him and Shandris vie with each other over who could kill the poor creature the fastest.

Anduin stared ahead, trying to see how much longer the puddle went on for. Not that it was really a puddle. It looked like a small lake. It must've rained something fierce, and Anduin decided the Wetlands certainly lived up to its name. He also decided he really didn't want to come back to this place.

Finally they had solid ground under their feet, and they took the time to try and wring muddy water out of their clothes. Or at least Anduin did. Wrathion and Shandris only had to scrape mud off their armor. They walked in silence for a little while, listening to the sounds of wildlife around them. Anduin spotted a few knolls, but they kept their distance from the party. They also spotted tiny little whelplings flitting around, their eyes wild and angry. Wrathion's one attempt to try and talk to one ended very badly, and he decided not to bother. "Too far gone." He said when Anduin had asked him. "There's no point in saving them."

By the end of the fourth day, they were able to see lights in the distance. Shandris unrolled a map and studied it for a while, giving a slight nod. "It's one of ours. We should be able to find supplies there."

"We're not in need of supplies. Why stop?" Wrathion asked.

"Because between here and Alterac there aren't really any Alliance holdings, except for our staging area into Arathi Basin." Shandris replied. "We're not likely to get any supplies from there, considering they need them more than we do."

"Are you suggesting we'll run out of supplies before we get where we want to be?"

"I'm suggesting we need to be prepared. Once we enter Arathi, the only safe place will be the staging area. After that, we head into Hillsbrad. There's nothing there that's friendly to Alliance, and even more so once we get into Alterac."

Anduin raised his hand to stop Wrathion's coming argument. "Shandris is right. Even if we get to Alterac and manage to speak with someone who can tell us where Go'el is, there's no telling where we'll have to go. So unless you want to spend time digging through the dirt for roots and hunting for meat, we're going to need to get as many supplies as we can."

Wrathion tilted his head and considered Anduin's words. "I didn't realize being an adventurer was such difficult work."

"Those adventurers, as you call them, often travel with far less than we have right now." Shandris said. "Most of the time, they have to hunt or forage, because they don't always have food available in their packs."

"Yes, but they can also travel great distances much faster." Wrathion replied. "They have things called mounts."

"Are you that upset that we're traveling by foot?" Anduin asked.

"No. Just pointing out a fact."

"Why don't you put your incredible intelligence to use and find us some more firewood?" Shandris told Wrathion, her lips tilted in a strange smile.

Wrathion just glowered at her, but rose anyway and pointed at Anduin. "You better not ditch me."

Anduin managed somehow to look offended. "Why would I do that?"

"I don't know. But don't."

They watched him disappear into the dark. Anduin looked at Shandris. "Why do you pick on him like that?"

Shandris shrugged. "He makes it easy. Besides, I often imagine that this is what it's like to have siblings. I've observed humans often enough to know that the oldest sibling often picks on the younger."

"That may be true, but they don't do it all the time."

"Why do you indulge him?"

"What?"

Shandris shifted position, pulling her glaive closer to her. "I've seen the way you treat him. He's like a child."

"He is a child. He's only two."

"Even kal'dorei parents know not to spoil their children, so why indulge him?"

Anduin shrugged. "I don't know. Probably because he knows about ten different ways to kill us before we even realize we're dead? Besides that, he's the last black dragon in all of Azeroth, and he's got a key role in what's happening now. You saw for yourself."

Shandris was quiet for a while. "You really believe that Wrathion is the key to all this?"

"I think he's got at least a part in it somehow. Besides, if we don't have him, we'll never be able to find the Earth Warder."

Shandris hummed. "You really think he's that important?"

Anduin didn't get a chance to answer. A piercing cry came out of the darkness, sending both the Prince and Commander to their feet. Anduin and Shandris exchanged a look, then took off running, trying to find Wrathion.

They didn't have to look for long.

Even in the dark, the shape of a dragon was unmistakeable. Anduin couldn't tell what color it was, but his first thought was that it was a red dragon. Fear washed through him, a frigid feeling that sharpened his mind. The reds had never quite forgiven Wrathion for escaping them, then working his own plans against theirs. Wrathion had never mentioned it, but Anduin knew that Wrathion was constantly looking over his shoulder for any agents of the red flight. Anduin quickly raised his staff and directed the Light to it in order to protect Wrathion from whatever was about to happen. Then he paused at the sight of a blood elf extricating himself from between the dragon's claws. And... Was he yelling at the dragon?

As they got close, Anduin saw that this dragon wasn't red. It was bronze. Wrathion stood nearby, jaw nearly touching the floor. He didn't look like he was injured. And it seemed like the dragon and blood elf hadn't noticed their audience yet, too engrossed in arguing with each other. Then the dragon began to shrink, until a beautiful high elf female stood where the dragon once did, her arms folded across her chest as she scolded, or something like that, the blood elf.

Then her head turned, and she looked right at Wrathion.

If Anduin had to judge her expression, she looked startled, even a little perturbed that Wrathion was standing right in front of her.

At the same time she moved, so did Shandris. Anduin quickly snapped out of his surprise and hurried to Wrathion's side to pull him out of whatever danger he was about to be in. He wasn't sure what happened first - he saw Shandris strike and he saw the bronze dragon turned blood elf dodge it with a speed no one should rightfully possess. Before Shandris could pull back and prepare for another strike, the bronze was within range and delivering a series of hits to Shandris' chest and stomach. Shandris hit the ground, saved from serious injury only by Anduin's quick shield.

"I thought you were a Mage." The male blood elf said, his voice tinged with something like awe.

"I can be whatever I want." Replied the bronze. She gave Shandris a long look, as if she expected the night elf to get up after the assault she'd just delivered, then focused on Wrathion and Anduin. "You. You're not supposed to be here."

"Who?" Wrathion and Anduin said.

"You. The Black Prince. Actually, none of you are supposed to be here. Why are you here?"

"Why are you?" Shandris spat, getting to her feet.

The male blood elf coughed. "Well, funny story..."

"We fled the clutches of a group of Dark Shaman bent on destroying Azeroth using Go'el as their weapon." The bronze said.

Anduin blinked and exchanged glances with Wrathion and Shandris. Then he looked at the bronze. "You... You're sure about that?"

"Quite sure. Now, would you like to explain why the Black Prince, the Prince of Stormwind, and the Commander of the night elf army are gallivanting around in the Wetlands for?"

"What's a bronze dragon and blood elf wandering around together for?" Shandris shot back.

"Can we not antagonize the nice bronze dragon lady?" Anduin asked. He took a deep breath. "But Shandris is right - what are you doing together, escaping from Dark Shaman, and who are you?"

The bronze canted her head to the side. She considered her options for a moment, then sighed quietly. "My name is Karidormi. About a month ago now, I had a vision where Go'el became corrupted, just like Deathwing. No one believed me, so I decided to investigate on my own. I went to find him, and discovered that the corruption was already taking root. He and Aggra are fighting it now, but..."

"But?" Anduin asked.

Karidormi wrung her hands together. "The corruption is spreading quickly. Go'el has already fallen into a coma, and I've used what little power I have left to try and stop it. The only solution I could think of was to find a black dragon powerful enough to take on some of the power of the Earth Warder."

"Wait. Time out." Said the blood elf. "That's why you're going to the Dark Portal? To find a black dragon that just might be willing to save the guy who killed their flight's leader?"

Karidormi looked at him. "I told you you didn't have to come with me."

"Yeah, and let you fall into some sort of trap or danger or whatever the hell-"

"You're the one who helped them catch me in the first place!"

"It wasn't like I knew what you were trying to do! And if I'd known you were a dragon, I never would've gotten involved!"

"Enough!" Anduin yelled. He turned to the blood elf. "Who are you?"

The blood elf let his breath whistle through his teeth. "Dashiell. Master rogue, at your service."

Silence reigned for a moment. Then Anduin looked at Karidormi. "Kari - is it okay I call you Kari? - you looked like you saw a ghost when you saw Wrathion." Anduin looked at his friend, and noticed Wrathion seemed a little pale. Anduin reached out to clasp his shoulder, wondering if he was going to have another attack. But Wrathion soon sucked in a breath and nodded slowly, silently telling Anduin he was fine.

Karidormi shifted a little. "I was on my way to see Prince Wrathion when I was ambushed by Dashiell and the Dark Shaman Khargol."

"You were on your way to see me?" Wrathion asked.

"I was afraid that whatever was happening to Go'el would affect you as well. I wanted to make sure the corruption hadn't spread to you, and I wanted..." Kari paused. "Well, I wanted to confirm if you would make a good candidate for taking some of the power."

"Which he's not." Shandris replied. She quickly recounted the earthquake in Stormwind and Wrathion's collapse. "If anything, he should stay far away from Go'el as possible after hearing your story."

"I agree." Wrathion said, startling Anduin and Shandris. The young black dragon looked at Karidormi and said, "I had a dream where I was used by a great evil to destroy Durotar. I can only assume the evil is this Dark Shaman, and if Go'el is as far gone as you say, then it's best we not go, after all."

"I guess we don't have to," Anduin said, "since our whole reason for going was to confirm Wrathion's dream."

Dashiell raised his hand. "Well, now what?"

"Now the princes and I shall return to Stormwind." Shandris said. "And I suppose you two will continue on your journey."

Wrathion stepped forward, coming to a halt before Karidormi. He turned to look at Anduin and Shandris. "I'm going with her."

"What?"

"I'm going with her." Wrathion repeated, spacing out his words.

Anduin felt his jaw drop. "Why?"

"Don't be dense. Obviously, Kari knows all about our little plight and she's determined to stop it. Also, she's going to Outland, some place I've never been, and she's going there to see members of my flight, which I had no clue about. So, I'd like to see them." Wrathion folded his arms over his chest. "And so I'm going."

"Never mind the fact that these Dark Shaman might be after you as well?"

"Then I guess you'd better come with me."

Anduin and Wrathion stared at each other for a long while. Then Anduin sighed and threw his hands into the air. "Why do I even bother trying to argue with you?! You always get your way, even if it's a terrible idea."

Wrathion gave Anduin a toothy grin. "It's an exercise in self-control, I suppose."

_Self-control my ass, _thought Anduin. He looked at Karidormi and wondered what she was thinking. Certainly she hadn't expected to add the three of them to her party, and by the look on Dashiell's face, he certainly hadn't expected to be dragged into her quest either. "So?" Anduin finally asked.

Karidormi looked at each of them for a long moment. Then she said, "You're welcome to come along, but please understand I'm not going there for pleasure. I'm going there to find someone who can shoulder some of the power of the Earth Warder. And because I'm doing this, I will be hunted by the people who don't want me to do that. By coming with me, you'll be exposed to the same danger, and I don't know if I can protect you. Especially you, Prince Anduin."

Anduin smiled, but there was no real emotion to it. "I think I can take care of myself."

"Then I suggest we start moving. It won't be long before Khargol and his Dark Shaman discover where we are."

Anduin and Wrathion exchanged glances with Shandris, then fell in beside Kari as she began to walk. No one questioned why they weren't flying, since Karidormi was definitely large enough to carry them all, but Anduin found he wasn't the only one glancing over his shoulder.

Dashiell was constantly turning his head to look behind, and wasn't it interesting he was doing it when he thought no one was looking?


	13. Chapter 13

Thirteen

The Dark Portal was a place Anduin had only heard about through stories told by adventurers' stories and tales told by his father. He knew that the heroes Alleria Windrunner and Turalyon had gone through and had never been seen again. He also knew that it was through this portal that the orcs had come and, because of it, his grandfather had died. He knew that going through it would deposit him in a strange land where life was struggling to survive, and there were untold dangers that would make things in Pandaria seem like cute fluffy bunnies.

At least, that was how Dashiell put it.

They'd gone from the Wetlands back to Ironforge and had a wonderful time sneaking Dashiell through the front door. Karidormi simply took on the form of a gnome, and managed to distract the guards long enough for Anduin, Wrathion, and Shandris to hustle Dashiell down to the Mystic Ward and shove him through the portal to the Blasted Lands. When they landed, they found themselves in a red, barren land with only ogres and the wildlife for company. Near where they had landed, Anduin could see two bases - one belonging to the Horde and the other to the Alliance. And, in the distance, he could see the Dark Portal.

It didn't take long to get there, and it was clear that the group had some aggression toward one another, which thankfully was mitigated through acts of wanton violence on unsuspecting scorpids and boars rather than each other. Of course, most of the animosity came from Dashiell and Shandris, neither of whom seemed to be able to get along with each other for long. Anduin and Wrathion kept close to Kari, and plied her with different questions about their quest. Anduin was completely surprised by Wrathion's attitude, especially around Karidormi. He hadn't expected Wrathion to be so excited about being near another dragon, considering all the work he'd done to separate himself from them.

And Karidormi, too, was a mystery. Here she was, fighting for something that no one else wanted to fight for. Not even Nozdormu, the leader of her flight, had wanted to believe her. It wasn't their fight, she'd said. That statement weighed heavily on Anduin's mind, especially when he thought about everything he'd gone through recently, and everything he was about to go through again.

The Dark Portal loomed above them, casting an eerie shadow across the whole area. Of course, that could also be attributed to the fact there seemed to be perpetual dark clouds hanging overhead, and the occasional cultist and demon wandered by, putting Shandris, at least, on edge. The demons and cultists were the least of their problems, though.

"They really have to stand right in front of the damn thing?" Dashiell asked. He was crouched on a cliff overlooking the Dark Portal - and the Alliance and Horde staging area right before it.

"They don't pay attention to the people coming and going." Karidormi replied. "Especially since most people just fly overhead into the portal anyway."

"But we don't have flying mounts." Shandris said. "And they're bound to notice anyone walking in."

"So, why don't we just fly in on Kari?" Wrathion asked. He shrugged when Karidormi shot him a glower. "You're big enough to carry us all."

"They'd notice that faster than they would four single riders," Anduin said, "and they'd notice the same dragon flying in and out and get suspicious."

"So what are our options?"

Karidormi rose and started walking. "There's the back way."

Shandris chuckled. "I'm surprised you thought of that and not the rogue."

"Hey!"

Anduin smirked and followed after Wrathion and a grumbling Dashiell as they hurried around to the other side of the Dark Portal. As they rounded the crater, Anduin watched a fel hound suddenly pick itself up from where it had been laying and launched itself toward Karidormi. He called out to her, but Shandris was already moving. So was Wrathion. The moment Shandris struck with her glaive, Wrathion struck with his sword, cutting the fel hound in two pieces. Karidormi clenched her fist to cut off the spell she'd been about to cast and laughed softly.

"How's that for excitement." Dashiell said softly.

"Since you didn't do anything, it was probably very exciting to watch." Shandris growled softly. "Are you okay, Kari?"

"I'm fine." Karidormi replied, stepping over a chunk of demon. "These are nothing compared to other demons I've seen. Have you ever seen a warlock in action? I've seen one use a void walker in tandem with a felguard in order to take out a magnataur."

"There was a warlock I met in Pandaria," Anduin said, "who used a void walker like a tank. He said it was entertaining to watch Mogu smack it and realize that their weapons weren't doing anything to it. Then he'd hit them with a chaos bolt."

"I think I remember that warlock." Wrathion replied. "Wasn't he the one who made that comment to you about me being absolutely batshit crazy?"

"Yeah, that's the one."

Shandris looked at both of them sharply. "You actually let them speak like that to you, Anduin?"

"Why not?" Dashiell laughed as he slid down the crater's embankment. "You should get out more, night elf. Go on a little educational field trip to learn vernacular. You'd be surprised at what you find people saying."

Shandris narrowed her eyes at him. "Keep talking. I'll need a reason to rip out your tongue, blood elf."

Kari, Wrathion, and Anduin sighed quietly to themselves and followed the arguing elves down the side of the crater. It seemed like being a team was going to be harder than actually doing any of the work they were going to do. Anduin couldn't figure out how to get Dashiell and Shandris to get along, and Wrathion was starting to seem apprehensive about seeing family he hadn't even known about. Even Anduin himself was starting to question his sanity in doing this, because if his father found out what he was doing, where he was going, Varian would probably lock Anduin in the deepest dungeon and not let him out until Anduin swore to never leave the castle grounds. Karidormi, however, had a determined look to her face and step, and Anduin realized that she was going through with her plan, no matter what happened.

He was quick to follow Karidormi through the Dark Portal.

When he emerged on the other side, Anduin bent double just to catch his breath.

"First time always hits you the hardest." Karidormi said with some sympathy. She looked at him and smiled. "It's the temporal distortion. It actually has to take you apart and put you back together again."

"Well, I'm used to portals," Anduin replied, straightening. "But definitely not one like this."

Wrathion emerged from the portal and sucked in a deep breath. So did Shandris when she emerged. Dashiell was the last to emerge, and looked toward the red sky. "Never thought I'd see this place again." He muttered.

Shandris raised a brow as she regarded the rogue. "You've been here before?"

"A few times. Mostly to explore somewhere new. Otherwise it was to kill things."

Karidormi strode forward before Shandris could say anything snippy. Anduin and the others quickly followed her. Anduin caught up to her first. "Where do we go from here?" He asked.

Karidormi pointed. "I want to head to the Blade's Edge Mountains. That's where the black dragons are reported to be, still. But we'll have to go on foot, unless I can acquire mounts from somewhere. It's just..."

"Just you've never been to Outland before." Dashiell said. "I guess that's where I come in." The rogue stepped past the blonde prince and bronze dragon. "There are two bases here - the Alliance's Honor Hold and the Horde's Thrallmar. It's suicide to run straight down the middle here, since all of the demons are congregated right there, so the safest way is to take a wyvern or a gryphon to our respective bases."

"So we're splitting up?" Wrathion asked with a slight grin. "Then I guess I'll-"

"Go to Honor Hold with Anduin and Shandris." Karidormi said in a bossy tone.

Wrathion glowered at her. "You can't tell me what to do."

"I'm older than you. Deal with it." Karidormi looked at Dashiell. "I'll go with you to Thrallmar."

"If that's what you want to do, okay." Dashiell shrugged. "We can meet on the road between the Temple of Telhamat and Falcon Watch. So once you get to Honor Hold, take the road north. We'll meet you there, and head to Zangarmarsh."

"And what happens if one group fails to show?" Shandris asked.

"We'll show." Dashiell growled. "Just don't go doing something stupid. Out here, it's everybody for themselves. And some Horde may just attack you because that's what they've spent their entire lives doing." He turned toward the Horde flight master, and started walking down toward her.

Karidormi looked at Shandris. "There's too much riding on this to entertain petty squabbles, you know."

"I know. He's just easy to rile." Shandris looked Karidormi in the eye. "I know what's at stake. I won't do anything to jeopardize our mission."

Kari hesitated, then nodded. "We'll meet you on the road. Try not to let them out if your sight, especially Wrathion."

"Don't worry. He's ten thousand years too young to escape me." Shandris gave Karidormi a quick salute, then turned to herd Anduin and Wrathion on the Alliance flight master.

Karidormi waited until the three of them were safely in the air, then joined Dashiell by the Horde flight master. Dashiell gave her a long look before he mounted a wyvern. Karidormi straddled her own wyvern and looked ahead into the bleak redness if Hellfire Peninsula. She didn't know what lay ahead, but she knew what lay behind, and knew that it was only a matter of time before they were hunted down and dealt with.

She didn't want to think about that.

She also didn't want to think that she couldn't trust Dashiell. He seemed to be only out for his own survival, and considering she'd made it look like he'd helped her escape from Khargol, it only seemed right that he would join her. And, Kari though with some guilt, since it was her fault for getting him involved in the first place, she bore the responsibility of watching over him. He hadn't said much to her, even if he did argue with Shandris more than what was healthy, but he didn't seem like he was going to run... or betray her. Dashiell was here for his own reasons, she was sure, but she couldn't quite figure out why. He was a mystery. Much like Wrathion.

Wrathion. Kari's lips curled into a little smile. He was a mystery, too. The way his mind worked fascinated her, because he could make leaps and bounds in thought before anyone else had to even try. He'd pestered her with all sorts of questions, much like her annoying little brothers had done when they had been Wrathion's age. Maybe that was why she got along with him - he reminded her of her little brothers. It was clear he had no idea how to really handle her, or any dragon older than him, and was trying to figure out the puzzle Karidormi represented. He was certainly out for himself, but he cared about Anduin. He also cared about Azeroth. He would never take up the mantle his sire once wore, but he would play his role in protecting Azeroth where others of his kind had fallen into madness. Of that much, Kari was sure. But at the same time, she was questioning her decision to let Wrathion come along with her, to find a black dragon that had escaped Deathwing's madness. She hadn't forgotten that Wrathion had made sure to eradicate every black dragon on Azeroth. Well, the ones that the Alliance and Horde hadn't dealt with first. She couldn't be sure if Wrathion intended to become the only black dragon left.

She clenched her fist and stared down at her clenched fingers. Could she stand aside and watch Wrathion do such a thing? Of course, that was provided she even found a suitable candidate for taking over part of the responsibilities of the Earth Warder. For the first time, Karidormi wondered what she would do if she couldn't find a black dragon who met the "requirements". What would she tell Aggra? "Sorry, I tried."? How would she help Go'el? The longer she spent running around trying one solution after another, the worse he was getting. What if she returned and Go'el was already completely under Khargol's control? What if she returned and Khargol was waiting for her, and made sure she, and everyone with her, couldn't rescue Go'el or Azeroth? What if...

_Stop it. You can't worry about what ifs. You can only worry about what's in front of you, what you're working on now. If you start worrying about what ifs and possible futures, you're going to end up causing them._ Karidormi bit the inside of her cheek until she could taste copper. The most important part was that she wasn't alone doing this anymore. Of course, her companions weren't exactly who she had expected to join her, and her fears that one or all of them would get hurt were very real. She didn't doubt that Anduin and Wrathion could take care of themselves, and Shandris was perfectly capable of protecting them, but she still felt responsible for them.

The wyvern barked softly and banked to one side, revealing a red barren landscape that at one time must've been green and beautiful. So lost in her musing about what this land might've been in the past, Karidormi failed to look behind her, back at the Dark Portal. If she had, she would've seen two orcs appear on the platform, one male and one female, both dressed in the raiment of shaman.


	14. Chapter 14

Fourteen

When his wyvern landed at Thrallmar, Dashiell hopped off and stretched, scanning everything around him while he pretended to stifle a yawn. When Karidormi joined him, he gestured toward a hut near the back of the small village. "They keep their mounts sheltered, since there are monsters out here who'd view an unprotected worg as a tasty morsel."

"I don't have any gold." Karidormi said.

"We won't need it."

"We aren't stealing them, are we?"

"No," Dashiell said lightly, "we're going to borrow them."

A quick glance at her face told him that she knew exactly what he was going to do - and he took her thin-lipped narrow-eyed glower for silent approval. Dashiell gave her a quick grin and pointed toward the northern exit of the village. Karidormi sighed. "Fine." She said. "I'll wait over there."

"I won't be long."

She gave him a long look, then turned and started walking. Dashiell blew out a long sigh and started toward the own where the riding wolves waited. He really wasn't sure how to go about obtaining two wolves for him and Karidormi. From his experience, wolves were creatures who you gave a wide berth and plenty of respect, otherwise they'd eat you. _One does not simply order a wolf to do his bidding._ Or so Dashiell figured the saying went.

He chose a spot close by the pen in order to observe the mounts for a while. He watched how their handlers took care of them, and how other people offered themselves to the wolves, hoping that maybe Fluffy would like them. He also watched how gold exchanged hands, and Dashiell thought about plenty of other things he could spend that amount of gold on, rather than some furry beastie. Still, Karidormi couldn't be expected to carry all of them. She probably would've been willing to carry Dashiell, but now that they'd added two brats and a night elf bitch he doubted that they'd get very far before someone annoyed the dragon enough that she simply shook them all off.

Of course, maybe he was being unfair to Karidormi. She had, after all, saved his life and hadn't exactly tossed him to the proverbial wolves in order to continue her journey on her own. And she hadn't asked him to come with her, really. He could leave at any time he wanted. But being with her was safer than being on his own, and if there was danger chasing them, then he'd have better odds facing it with someone backing him up. Dashiell lifted his head and looked toward Kari's silhouette. He almost wished that he didn't know she was a dragon. She was pretty, with long blonde hair and golden-green eyes that sparkled with her every emotion. She didn't have the exotic beauty that most female elves had, and he wondered if she'd done that on purpose, in order to be able to move around with no one recognizing who - or what - she was.

Movement caught his attention. The keeper of the wolves was moving away, probably to get food for the beasts or relieve himself, whatever might be the case. Seeing the opportunity, Dashiell started for the pen. He crouched low, and pulled the sight shield over himself, disappearing from sight. He continued to creep toward the pen, barely letting out the barest of sighs as he reached the first stall.

The wolf there was a tawny thing, furry and friendly-looking. She knew something was there with her, and her eyes focused on the invisible rogue. Her jaw opened, revealing sharp teeth and a long wet tongue. Dashiell offered her his hand, and after a cursory sniff, she licked his knuckles. He said nothing to her, only scratched her chin as he untied her. As soon as she was free, she shook her great head and looked at Dashiell in askance. He gestured for her to wait, checked on the keeper of the mounts, then quickly turned to the wolf beside the tawny one. This one was big and mean-looking. He had rough black fur and a white stripe streaking down his chest, which made him look quite intimidating. He eyed the invisible rogue with piercing yellow eyes, but did nothing more than twitch his tail and look at the tawny female. Dashiell quickly untied him and gently pulled on the reins wound around his muzzle. At first the black wolf resisted, but eventually followed Dashiell and the tawny female out of the pen. Maybe it was the promise of fel boar that got him moving. Dashiell didn't much care.

He joined Karidormi quickly and urged her to mount one of the wolves. He eyed her as she swung up onto the back of the black wolf without any preamble. When she just looked at him, he shrugged and pulled himself onto the tawny wolf's back. He gave a quick command, and they were soon racing out of Thrallmar to the north, where they would meet up with Anduin, Wrathion, and Shandris.

Karidormi slowly eased her wolf from a run to a walk as they reached the appointed meeting place. She and Dashiell were the only ones there, a fact she wasn't surprised about. She wasn't sure what Anduin would have to do to get mounts, or if he would even be able to get out of Honor Hold in a decent amount of time. She was resigned to wait and sighed quietly.

"Must've been a nice place once, huh?" Dashiell commented, dismounting from his wolf.

Karidormi did the same, stroking her wolf's black fur. "It seemed like it would be full of life. It's shame, what happened."

"I don't think they were thinking about that at the time."

"Some were."

Dashiell looked at her, about to ask how she could be so sure, then remembered she was a bronze dragon. Of course she'd know. He should've too, if he ever paid attention to his own history. Go'el came from parents who defied the leaders of their people; the entire Frostwolf clan defied the ideas and practices of Gul'dan, and were exiled for it. He looked away. "So, how long do we wait?"

"As long as we have to. They won't leave us waiting."

"How can you be so sure?"

Karidormi looked at him for a long moment. "You have a hard time trusting others, don't you?"

"My life hasn't exactly been sunshine and roses." Dashiell replied. He folded his arms over his chest and stared back toward Thrallmar, watching the sky around the village darken as an assault began. "I never really fit in with my family, so growing up was more like simply trying to survive to the next day. And my older brother was such a pain in the ass, such a freaking golden boy that... Well, when the opportunity came, I left. Never really went home again, but learned enough to carry a grudge anyway, I guess."

"None of what happened was the fault of our companions."

"No, but they make it so easy to pick on them. Especially the night elf."

Karidormi shook her head and sighed. "You really should learn to get along with other people. It's when we cooperate that we're at our strongest."

"Do you honestly believe that the Horde and the Alliance will ever work together if there isn't some nasty evil beastie trying to destroy us all?"

Karidormi never got a chance to answer. The lightning bolt hit her square in the chest, sending her flying backwards to the red dirt. Dashiell cursed and immediately crouched, letting the tawny wolf and her companion do what they would, which was race toward the two approaching wolves with such speed and viciousness that the two Orc shamans were forced to dismount mid-stride, hitting the ground minutes before the four wolves collided in a sea of sharp teeth and flying fur.

Dashiell hurried to Karidormi's side. There wasn't anywhere to hide out here, and he didn't have many options when it came to close combat. He could vanish, but they'd seen him and knew he was there. They'd be expecting an attack from behind or in their blind spots. He touched her shoulder, trying to rouse her, watching the shaman come closer. Karidormi gave a soft groan, so he knew she wasn't dead, but she wasn't going to be of much help until she recovered.

Dashiell gripped one dagger in his left hand and vanished from sight. He took off at a flat run, gritting his teeth and wondered just what in the hell he was getting himself into.

He reached the shamans and struck, only to feel his blade scrape along an earthen shield. The shaman turned and Dashiell caught sight of a mace seconds before it hit his crossed daggers, slamming his forearms back into his face and shattering the sight shield he'd had around himself. Dashiell flew back into the air and hit the ground, sending up a cloud of red dust into the air. He gave a sharp cry at the feeling of pain and rolled to the side, just before the other shaman's flame scored the red earth where he'd been laying. He jumped to his feet and rushed for Kari, ignoring the blood streaming from his nose. He slid to a stop in front of the bronze dragon, who was just starting to come around, and leveled his daggers at the two shamans.

He hated that he couldn't see their faces beneath the wolf hoods they wore. He hated that all he could see was sharp grins that mirrored each other for viciousness and sadistic glee. He sucked in air and blood through his nose, then spat it out into the red dirt. "Attacking defenseless women has become your favorite pastime now?"

The male Orc burst out laughing. "Defenseless? That woman, as you call it, is hardly defenseless. I don't know about you, rogue, but when I go into a fight, I take out the ones that'll kill me first."

Dashiell hissed as he recognized the voice. "Mogrul. I didn't think you jumped when Khargol snapped his fingers."

Mogrul laughed. "Who said anything like that? I'm here to kill you and that dragon bitch before she screws up any more of Khargol's plans." He paused as the female leaned up and whispered something to him. "So where's the rest of your band? The human boy and the night elf? Oh, and the other boy, the dark skinned one. I'd really like to have a chat with him."

Before Dashiell could answer, a ball of light shot past his shoulder and smashed into Mogrul's chest. While it didn't have the same effect as his lightning bolt had on Kari, the orb of light still shattered his earth shield and knocked him flat on the ground. Dashiell turned his head slightly, keeping the two shaman in his peripheral while he tried to find the source of the orb. Karidormi stood on shaking legs, one hand pressed to her chest while the other was held straight out, fingers splayed and her palm slightly smoking. Her expression wasn't one that belonged on an elves face - her teeth were bared in a vicious snarl, and her eyes had narrowed to slits as they glared what had to be hate at the two shaman. Dashiell felt his stomach quiver. _Why do I always forget that she isn't a blood elf?_

Karidormi took a step forward, golden sand coalescing around her body. "If you lay one finger on Wrathion I will make sure it will be the last thing you do!"

Mogrul burst out laughing. "Wrathion? That brat's Wrathion?" He grinned widely, nudging his companion. "That's the Prince."

"I guess after we finish with these two we'll have to pay our respects." Hissed out the female shaman.

"We can do a lot more than that." Laughed Mogrul. He focused on Karidormi and grinned. "How much do you think we'll get for bringing back a prize like the Prince?"

Dashiell looked at the two shaman like they were insane. They were, literally, provoking a dragon. And Karidormi obliged them. One minute, she was standing behind Dashiell, and the next she simply blinked out of existence. She reappeared right in front of Mogrul and the female shaman, and the moment she did, she unleashed the sand that had gathered around her. The two shaman were momentarily stunned by the golden whips crashing against their shields. The sand made short work of the earth shields, and Dashiell watched in a mix of awe and horror as Karidormi began a spell assault on the two shaman. Sensing that he'd only get in her way, Dashiell remained where he was, tense and anxious.

Karidormi was a vicious attacker. Each time either shaman attempted to move, sand was there as a living, writhing creature. It snapped and whipped around, blocking escape, and when it seemed like the shaman were going to attack, it snapped toward their faces, disrupting their concentration. Dashiell watched in awe as Karidormi blended offense and defense together to make a continuous assault, leaving her enemies no time to recover. Then Mogrul moved one way and Karidormi focused on him.

In that moment of inattention, Dashiell saw the female Orc break away from Karidormi's vicious assault. She quickly assumed a ghost wolf form, and darted a good distance away. She quickly changed back and as she did, myriad totems dropped at her feet. Quickly, Dashiell took off running, knowing that if he didn't reach her in time, she was going to interrupt Karidormi's attack, and then act as a pocket healer for Mogrul. He was wrong. He was so wrong. He realized it the moment he saw her grin and tried to skid to a halt, tried to retreat.

Too late.

The fireball screaming toward him left him no room to dodge. His only choice was to keep going, to run directly at the fireball. At the last second, Dashiell dove. He hit the ground and covered his head, and felt the searing heat pass above him. As soon as he could, Dashiell rolled to his feet and lunged toward the female shaman. She was surprised to see him barreling toward her, and that worked in his favor. Dashiell twisted suddenly, unleashing a flurry of stabs and slices as she fought to regain control of the situation. Each time he saw her trying to cast a healing spell, he pressed his attack, effectively stun-locking her so she couldn't cast at all.

Then he heard Karidormi scream and his concentration broke. He turned away from the female shaman and watched time slow down as Karidormi was launched into the air by a fire elemental. He saw her hit the ground... And not get up. A hot crackle sounded behind him, and Dashiell's world suddenly upended. He hit the ground hard and rolled once. His body was entirely numb, and he could hear a sharp ringing in his ears. He couldn't curl his fingers, couldn't wiggle his toes. All he could do was stare at the two wolf-Orc faces that loomed over his own.

"You should've stayed with us, blood elf." Crooned the female shaman. "You could've been part of the greatest army to rule Azeroth, with the two greatest weapons anyone has ever seen."

Dashiell choked. He wasn't sure if he was cursing them or asking them what they meant. It didn't matter anyway. He blacked out, no longer able to withstand the pain coursing through his body. His last thought was about the three who had yet to appear, and hope they had enough sense not to.


	15. Chapter 15

Fifteen

Anduin pulled on the reins of the horse he'd been given, slowing it down enough so he could wait for Wrathion. Shandris didn't seem as comfortable on her horse as she would a night saber, but she was dealing with her mount better than Wrathion was. Wrathion was lucky just to keep his seat, and that wasn't saying very much. It was obvious the horse was taking pity on the black dragon, because it was plodding along at a steady, sedate pace that wouldn't cause even the most novice of riders much difficulty. Unless, maybe, you were Wrathion.

Heaving a sigh, Anduin turned his horse around and cantered toward Wrathion. He didn't miss the dirty look Wrathion gave him, and he was sure it was because he was doing things the Black Prince could only dream of at this point. Anduin turned his mare and brought her alongside Wrathion's stallion. Anduin gathered the reins in one hand and reached to take Wrathion's wrist. "Like this. Hold it gently. Straighten your back and relax. Move with him, and grip with your knees."

"I can do this alone." Wrathion bit out.

"Uh-huh." Anduin replied dryly. "Even the horse knows you're a novice at riding. Take my advice, and you won't be sorry later."

"Later?" Wrathion looked a little pale. "There's a later?"

"We're on an adventure. Of course there's a later." Anduin said. He looked ahead, toward Shandris. She was cresting a rise with little effort, then she pulled her horse to a stop and raised her hand to shield her eyes. _I guess you can take the huntress out of the forest, but you can't stop the huntress from being what she is. _Of course, Anduin had to wonder if Shandris was acting this way because he and Wrathion were there, or if she just always acted this way.

It had taken some doing to get away from Honor Hold. When they had first arrived, no one had known who they were, which suited them all just fine. Then as they were trying to secure mounts, Anduin was recognized by one grizzled soldier, and he'd told his friend, and so on until the whole base knew. And since word now was no doubt about to go back to his father, Anduin wanted to be gone from the place before anyone came to get him. It took a little work on Anduin's part and some distraction by Arator the Redeemer before the three of them could escape. It did, and didn't, oddly, bother Anduin that Arator hadn't asked him why they were here or what they were doing. Anduin hadn't questioned Arator's motives, either, and he probably should have. Either way, the three of them had gotten their mounts and were on their way toward Falcon Watch and the further Telhamat temple.

Anduin and Wrathion joined Shandris on the rise and stood overlooking a vast red, dry plain littered with pockets of monsters Anduin had never seen before. They were about the size of a man, with blades for arms instead of hands. Anduin stood in his saddle, trying to see a clear path through the monsters.

"Don't bother." Shandris said quietly. "There's only one way around, and if we take it, we'll have to move fast. Otherwise, we go straight on through and hope for the best."

Wrathion made a face. "I could just fly over."

"You could. Then you'd be all alone on the other side until we get to you."

Wrathion hissed something Anduin hoped Shandris didn't hear. The Black Prince looked at Anduin then. "What do you think we should do?"

Anduin looked at Wrathion and frowned. "Why do I have to dictate what we do?"

"Because I asked."

"By the Light..." Anduin sucked in a breath and blew it out slowly. "We have to reach Karidormi and Dashiell as soon as possible, so I guess we charge right through. But you can't ride as well as the rest of us can, so expecting you to stay on your mount's back during a mad gallop would be ridiculous. Besides that, even if you changed and flew, there's no telling if you could keep up."

Wrathion glowered at Anduin. "I could keep up. My wings aren't just for decoration you know."

Shandris clucked to her horse and urged the animal forward. "It's settled then. We're taking the long way."

Anduin urged his mare after Shandris and a grumbling Wrathion fell in third. They traveled across the red cracked earth for what felt like hours until they finally reached what looked like a road. They turned north and started the journey for the meeting spot, feeling confident. While they saw plenty of monsters and demons - and other Alliance and Horde - they didn't feel the cold touch of danger or come under attack.

As they created a small rise in the road, Shandris suddenly reined in her mount and stopped. Anduin and Wrathion followed suit, looking at the night elf like she was mad. But Anduin knew she wouldn't stop without good reason, but as he looked out onto the open ground, he couldn't see anything that would raise alarm. He could see two figures in the distance, waiting with what looked to be riding wolves. He assumed they were Kari and Dashiell, waiting for them to arrive.

"Wait." Shandris said, stopping Anduin from giving his stallion the command to walk on. "Something isn't right."

Wrathion lifted a hand to shade his eyes. "What isn't right is the fact we're making Karidormi wait. See? She's waving at us."

Shandris studied the silhouette waving its arm back and forth as if in greeting. She frowned deeply, then pulled her bow from her back and strung it, loosely nocking an arrow and holding it gently. Wrathion frowned but Anduin motioned for him to keep quiet. As a precaution, Anduin called upon the Light and asked it to form shields around them. While the shields wouldn't do much against a heavy assault, they would hold under a quick barrage. If that happened, Anduin would quickly cast more powerful shields, while Shandris and Wrathion engaged the enemy. Hopefully, they were taking these precautions for nothing.

Then Anduin saw Wrathion loose his sword from its scabbard and watched the black dragon's crimson eyes narrow. Before he could ask what was wrong, Anduin was suddenly flying into the air, the smell of burnt flesh and fire filling his nostrils. If it weren't for the shield bubbled around him, Anduin would've hit the ground hard enough to break something, if not knock him out. It still drove the breath out of him and shattered the shield. He heard a Kal'dorei curse and saw Shandris lift her bow, firing her nocked arrow. Before that one had even sailed away, she had fired two more in quick succession, then dismounted and hurried to Anduin's side. Wrathion slid off his mount's back and rushed toward Anduin, then nearly fell backwards in his haste to avoid being crushed by a giant fiery hand.

Anduin stared at the prone form of what had once been his horse, then turned to look at the fire elemental battling his best friend. Shandris, after seeing Anduin was all right, quickly leaped toward Wrathion and began firing her arrows into the elemental. While the arrows wouldn't cause much harm to it, they still distracted the elemental enough to give Wrathion a chance to recover and ready his weapon. The blonde Prince struggled to his feet and called upon the Light, managing to get a shield around Shandris in time to prevent a lightning bolt from incinerating her. That turned his attention to where the bolt had come from, and he quickly sent a Smite spell toward the area. Red dirt kicked up, but no one appeared, which meant the spell-caster had moved right after casting. Anduin quickly turned his attention to Wrathion and quickly surrounded him with a shield of light that kept the elemental from fatally wounding him. Shandris had released her glaive and with unerring precision shot it toward the elemental. The glaive struck the elemental in the chest and tore through. Wrathion let out an inhuman snarl and reached out his hand. Anduin watched him grasp the fire and pull, drawing the fire toward him.

Anduin quickly crossed the distance between him and Shandris, and quickly cast a healing spell to soothe away the burns she'd sustained when her glaive had come back to her, and brought pieces of the elemental with it. He turned then to where Karidormi and Dashiell were, and wondered why they weren't joining the fight. He was about to call out when a lightning bolt hit him square in the chest, flinging him back into Shandris. They hit the ground hard, and Anduin became faintly aware of someone calling his name. Was it Shandris? Or Wrathion?

He felt the Light fill him, trying to heal the wound the lightning had given him. With effort and Shandris' help, he sat up, just in time to see Wrathion finish off the fire elemental. As it fell, Anduin watched in horror as Wrathion suddenly fell to his knees, his body sparking with elemental fire. Wrathion's hands dug into the red earth and Anduin thought he could see red lines forming on the visible places of Wrathion's skin. He tried to call out, but for some reason his voice wouldn't work. Shandris left him to go to Wrathion's side, her hands touching his shoulders as if she was going to haul him up and carry him to somewhere safe. She didn't have a chance to scream because the strike came so fast. One moment, Wrathion looked like he was going to simply keel over, and the next he was swinging a closed fist directly into Shandris' diaphragm, driving the air out of her lungs and flinging her high into the air. She hit the ground near Anduin and didn't move.

Anduin looked toward Wrathion with wide eyes. His friend had struggled to his feet, his crimson eyes burning with living fire. His face had cracked, revealing molten blood churning just beneath the surface, threatening to erupt. Wrathion turned those burning eyes on Anduin and stalked forward. Anduin scrambled backward and called upon the Light to shield him. Just in time, it seemed, because Wrathion's strike was full of fury. It sent Anduin hurtling to the ground, forcing the human to roll to one side to avoid being skewered by the sword that was suddenly bearing down on him.

"Wrathion!" Anduin yelled, quickly casting a cleansing spell on his friend, hoping it would do something, anything. It didn't do anything. Anduin scrambled away, trying to find a safe place to hide. And where were Karidormi and Dashiell?

Anduin slid to a halt as the orcs appeared, two shamans dressed in wolf hoods and wearing sneers on the visible parts of their faces. He stared at them, both confused and afraid because these orcs weren't anything he'd encountered before, and they certainly weren't Mag'har. He started to retreat, but Wrathion was there, blocking his way. Caught between three powerful forces, Anduin knew there was only one thing to do.

He raised his hands in surrender.

The male Orc barked out a laugh. "I would've thought you would've put up more if a fight than that! I guess the apple doesn't fall very far from the tree."

It took Anduin a moment to realize the shaman wasn't talking to him. He turned his head slightly to look at Wrathion, who stood with his chest heaving and his muscles taut, like he was waiting to attack something. Anduin looked back at the shaman. "What did you do to him? And the rest of my friends?"

The female shaman barked out a laugh. "Your friends? You mean the blood elf and the dragon? Oh, they're alive, if that's what you mean. For the moment."

Anduin narrowed his eyes. "What did you do to them?" He asked, eerily calm.

The female shaman eyed him for a long while. "Why should I bother explaining it? You'll see soon enough, whelp."

Before Anduin could say anything - or attack - the male shaman grabbed him by the neck and pushed him down to his knees. Anduin felt his throat constrict under the pressure and he couldn't get enough air. He tried sucking in air through his nose, but he couldn't even do that when the male shaman tightened his hold on Anduin's neck. The shaman leered down at him, showing yellowing tusks and yellow teeth. "So what should we do with this one?"

The female shrugged. "I guess whatever we want. We have what we came for, and more besides." She turned her head to look at the prone form of Shandris. "Of course, it probably wouldn't hurt to spark a little war between the Alliance and the Horde. That would definitely soften them up."

The male laughed. "So who do we send to the Alliance? The kal'dorei or the boy?"

"The boy. Nothing gets the Alliance riled up like seeing the mutilated corpses of children."

Anduin choked. He grabbed at the orc's wrist and tried to pull the hand away from his throat enough that he could take in air to cast something. The Orc only tightened his grip. Anduin could feel darkness threatening to take him and prayed that someone, anyone, would come and help. He didn't care who - an adventurer, a soldier, a beast - as long as they could break this iron hold on his throat. He heard a soft hiss and suddenly Wrathion was there, his eyes burning bright. The male shaman seemed to be surprised, and his expression grew even more surprised when Wrathion swept his sword up and brought it down on the male's arm.

Anduin gasped as air suddenly returned to him and scrabbled backwards, away from the howling Orc and his severed arm. He saw Wrathion's body tense again and his sword snapped up again. This time, though, the female shaman was faster. She unleashed a fierce barrage of lightning at Wrathion, striking him over and over again in the chest. Wrathion staggered back under the assault, until he was on his knees, paralyzed. Then the female shaman approached, unsheathing a hidden mace. Anduin tried to throw up a shield in time, but he couldn't get the breath to even utter the words to the spell. He saw a glimmer as the Light responded to his will, but the minor shield wasn't enough to fully stop her strike. All it did was slow it enough that it only knocked Wrathion unconscious rather than smashed his head open.

Before Wrathion even hit the ground, she was tending to her companion, stopping the flow of blood and cleaning the wound before she sealed it up. There was no way she'd be able to reattach the arm, not without difficulty. And Anduin figured they didn't have a whole lot of time.

As Anduin struggled to his feet, both shaman looked toward him, murder in their eyes. Anduin shivered and gripped his staff, trying hard not to panic. He hadn't felt this afraid since he'd faced Garrosh, but at that time, he'd forced the fear away under the knowledge he was doing something right. He hadn't expected to be severely injured. He hadn't expected to wake up with broken bones and be told he almost died. His lips twitched in a smile, bitter. Here was that same situation, just different opponents. He'd left Stormwind thinking it would be a simple adventure. Just to their destination and back, and maybe a few monster encounters. Nothing serious. He remembered something someone had told him - he couldn't remember who - while he was recovering: _We don't go into a fight expecting to come out of it alive, kid. We go into a fight expecting to die, so we do whatever it takes to stay alive._

Anduin gathered himself for a final strike. He had to believe he was going to die. He had to take them both with him if he was going to fall, because if he let them get their hands on Wrathion or Shandris or Kari or Dashiell he'd never be able to forgive himself. Light gathered around him, pulsing and strong, and it gave the shamans pause because neither of them seemed to know what was happening.

The female shaman recovered a little faster than Anduin could strike, and the lightning bolt seared his shield. Anduin stood his ground and fired back with a smite spell, aiming not for the female but her companion. The light struck an earth shield, exploding it into clods that rained down on both of them. Anduin gathered his remaining strength and tried to attack, only to end up shielding himself from a lightning bolt that knocked him off his feet. He rolled to avoid being crushed beneath a torrent of earth and struggled to get to his feet. Panting, Anduin whirled to throw a smite spell at the female shaman, and received a glancing blow to the shoulder by her companion's mace. Anduin hit the ground again and cried out from pain. His shoulder was dislocated, if not broken.

"You humans." Snarled the male. "You just don't know when to give up. You should learn to die with grace!"

Anduin watched the male Orc raise his mace up high into the air. The Prince stared, not at the mace, but the arrowhead that suddenly pierced the shaman's chest. The Orc looked down at the arrowhead, like he couldn't believe it was there. His fingers opened as he crumpled, and Anduin scrambled backwards to keep from being hit by the mace as it fell.

He looked around for the archer, thinking, hoping, it was Shandris. But then he saw the fletching of the arrow and knew that the feathers decorating the end of the arrow hadn't been put there by the hands of night elf. He heard another whistle and saw an arrow arc in toward the female shaman. That one was stopped by an earth shield, but another found its mark in the female's knee. She went down with a cry, her shield disrupted, and another arrow sprouted from her shoulder. A third went through her neck, and she fell backwards into the dirt.

Anduin heard the approach then, the crunch of gravel under boots. He turned slightly to look at his rescuer, to thank the brave soul that had come to his rescue when he or she didn't have to. His mouth worked, but no sound came out. His eyes widened, not bothering to hide the surprise.

The Orc girl glowered at him, then struck Anduin across the head with her bow, knocking him cold.


End file.
